The United States government has vehemently denied accusations that it was involved in the mass uprisings that took place in Bangladesh recently. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, in a statement released on Monday, clarified that the US had “no involvement” in the protests and that circulating rumors were “simply false.”
During a press briefing, Jean-Pierre emphasized, “We have had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumors that the United States government was involved in these events are simply, simply false. That is not true.” These protests, sparked by student grievances, led to the tragic deaths of hundreds of people and culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5th. Following her resignation, she fled to India amid escalating tensions.
Jean-Pierre further stressed that the US believes Bangladeshi citizens should determine the future of their own government. “This is a choice for and by the Bangladeshi people. We believe that the Bangladeshi people should determine the future of the Bangladeshi government, and that’s where we stand,” she stated, as reported by ANI.
Adding to the refutation, she asserted, “Any allegations, certainly we will continue to say, and what I have said here is simply untrue.”
Michael Kugelman, a US-based foreign policy expert and Director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, echoed the US government’s stance by dismissing allegations of foreign interference in the Bangladesh crisis. He stated he had not seen any “plausible evidence” to support these claims. “My view has been very simple. I see this as a crisis that was driven by purely internal factors, by students who were unhappy about a particular issue, job quotas that they didn’t like and they were worried about the government,” Kugelman said, as quoted by ANI.
Kugelman highlighted that the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s harsh crackdown on student protesters had escalated the agitation. Dismissing allegations put forth by Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Kugelman emphasized, “This was simply driven by internal factors.
