US ups the ante against Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus regime; asks it to follow the “rules of human rights”

extremism in Bangladesh under the Muhammad Yunus regime.

“Fortunately, we have an administration and a secretary of state who is completely committed to diplomatic resolutions, to face-to-face conversations with our friends around the world,” a US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Monday in reply to a question on Bangladesh army chief’s warning of an imminent extremist attack on Bangladesh as well as unlawful imprisonment of journalists under the Yunus regime.

“We expect every country, certainly Bangladesh and others, to say the least, to follow the rules of human rights and to be cognizant and fair regarding the behaviour and what their own citizens expect from their government. So, I think that’s a north star for any nation,” she said.

Last week, US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had expressed her concerns over attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and is understood to have had detailed conversations with Indian officials on the Bangladesh situation.

Foreign minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said the government is working on various mechanisms to draw the attention of Bangladeshi authorities on the issue of atrocities on minorities.

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Interestingly, The US state department comments came ahead of Yunus’ proposed visit to China from Wednesday. Dhaka expects to sign a deal with Beijing during his visit, under which Bangladesh will receive a grant of $138 million for projects selected jointly by both countries, including the construction of a world-class hospital. Part of the Chinese grant may also be used for establishing a tertiary institution in Bangladesh.

China had pledged the grant during former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Beijing last July.

Yunus will