T20 WC fiasco: Bangladesh's Aminul aims to mend India ties
What's the story
Aminul Haque, Bangladesh's newly appointed State Minister for Youth and Sports, has expressed his desire to mend ties with India. The move comes after Bangladesh's absence from the ongoing T20 World Cup due to security concerns under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Many believe that the relationship between the two countries has soured since Yunus took over after a student-led movement in July 2024.
Diplomatic resolution
We want to build a sincere and cordial relationship: Haque
Haque, who took office after a landslide victory by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in state elections, has promised to resolve the diplomatic issues with India. "We want to resolve this issue quickly through discussions because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighboring countries," he said. He added that they want "to build a sincere and cordial relationship" from sports to all other sectors.
Diplomatic engagement
Discussed T20 World Cup issue with Indian envoy
Haque revealed that he met the Deputy High Commissioner of India at the Parliament building after his oath-taking ceremony. He discussed the T20 World Cup issue with him in a friendly manner, emphasizing his desire to resolve it through discussions. "You know that because of diplomatic complications, we could not play in the World Cup," Haque said, adding if those issues had been discussed and settled earlier, their team might have participated.
Election controversy
BCB election 'questionable': Haque
Haque also questioned the legitimacy of the last Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election that saw Aminul Islam become board president. He said, "I have said before and I still say that it was questionable." However, he assured that the matter will be resolved through discussions within ICC regulations. "Whatever needs to be done will be addressed through discussions," he added.
Sports reform
Sports should not be politicized, says Haque
Haque stressed that he cannot change everything in one day and long-standing practices take time to reform. He said, "I want to ensure that sports are not politicized or turned into partisan platforms." He also emphasized that those who truly love sports and the sporting community should be given responsibilities in different sectors.
Player reinstatement
Plans to withdraw cases against Shakib, Mortaza
Haque also revealed plans to withdraw legal cases against former national captain Shakib Al Hasan and ex-skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. He said the cases need to be settled "at the state level" for them to return to cricket. "As for Shakib and Mashrafe, this is a state-level decision. They are legendary cricketers of Bangladesh, and we deeply appreciate their contributions," he said.
DYK
Scotland replaced Bangladesh in T20 World Cup
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the ongoing T20 World Cup after its government denied permission for travel and participation in India. The whole row stems from the BCCI's order to drop Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad. The deteriorating political relations between Bangladesh and India are believed to be a factor behind this. This prompted the Bangladesh government to officially announce that its team would not play matches in India.