Who is Veena Sikri? Why Political Unrest in Bangladesh is Alarming For India Accoding to Her

Veena Sikri is a distinguished Indian diplomat and scholar with extensive experience in South Asian affairs. Her in-depth knowledge of regional politics, especially Bangladesh, is valuable as she understands the geopolitical dynamics of the region. In recent years, Sikri has expressed concerns about the political unrest in Bangladesh and the impact it could have on India.

Who is Veena Sikri?

Veena Sikri was born on October 27, 1948, and is an outstanding Indian scholar. In 1963, she won a state scholarship to study at St. Mary’s School, Pune. She then graduated with first-class honors in statistics from Pune University in 1967 and first-class honors in economics from Delhi University in 1970. Veena is married to retired diplomat Rajiv Sikri and has a son and a daughter.

Veena Sikri: Political career

Veena Sikri is a seasoned diplomat who served in the Indian Foreign Service for 37 years, from 1971 to 2008. Her illustrious career included important posts as Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Consul General in Hong Kong, and High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Malaysia. Notably, she was the first woman to serve as High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

Sikri’s diplomatic career also included challenging assignments at the Indian Embassies in Paris, Moscow and Kathmandu. His tenure as India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 1977 to 1981 was particularly notable, when he represented India at the UN Security Council, ECOSOC and Non-Aligned Movement summits.

After switching careers from diplomacy to academia, Sikri became a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia University and held the Ford Foundation Endowed Chair. She also served as the convener of the South Asian Women’s Network and continued to contribute to international relations and women’s leadership.

Veena Sikri: Why Bangladesh’s political unrest worries India

With Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister, the country is in chaos. Veena Sikri mentioned that this situation “India is worrisome.”

According to an interview with the Tribune, she said: “I have always been worried that (the situation in Bangladesh) would be interfered by foreign forces. The latest sign was that things went very badly when Sheikh Hasina visited China. This shocked me. China did not give her a proper etiquette welcome. Xi Jinping did not meet her separately. This is not in line with China’s usual style. People could not understand why China did this. But now people can see. Pakistan and China have very close relations.”

Speaking about the invitation of the Jamaat-e-Islami by the Bangladesh Army Chief for talks and the fact that Hasina’s Awami League will not be a part of it, Sikri expressed concern over the growing influence of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which is known to have close ties with Pakistan. She stressed that this development is disturbing for India.

“India is very concerned about this unstable situation. We hope that the situation will calm down. The Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff announced that an interim government will be formed, but the structure of the interim government remains uncertain. There are many lists circulating and we can only wait and see.” she says.

Veena Sikri’s extensive experience and deep understanding of the region’s geopolitics make her particularly concerned about the political unrest in Bangladesh. The impact of instability in Bangladesh transcends its borders, affecting regional stability, security, economic relations and cultural ties.