India pulls out 'non-essential staff,' families from diplomatic mission in Bangladesh

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - New Delhi has pulled out "non-essential staff" and their families from Indian High Commission in Bangladesh, sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said the return of “non-essential staff and families from Indian High Commission in Dhaka has taken place on voluntary basis through a commercial flight.”

They have reached India Wednesday morning.

However, the Indian diplomats will remain in the High Commission in Dhaka, the sources said, adding that: “The High Commission remains functional.”

The Indian government on Tuesday confirmed that Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in India and said she had requested “approval to come for the moment to India.”

Briefing the parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said there are an estimated 19,000 Indian nationals in Bangladesh of which about 9,000 are students.

Hasina fled Bangladesh on Monday after weeks of violent protests over quota in government jobs. The country's military chief, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, in an address to the nation, said the premier had resigned and a transitional government will be formed.

Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus has been named as head of the transitional setup.

Hasina, who had been in power for 15 years, has yet to issue any statement on the events that have unfolded.

In an interview to daily The New Indian Express, Yunus said: “I blame India for having good ties with the wrong people. You have a policy towards Bangladesh. Please revisit your foreign policy. You congratulated people over an election which was never held.”

Bangladesh held general elections in January which were boycotted by opposition parties and Hasina's Awami League party won almost all seats.