A former White House official has raised serious concerns about rising extremism in Bangladesh. Lisa Curtis, who advised President Trump on South Asia during his first term, praised former Prime Minister Sheikh for her efforts to control extremism. However, she warned that there is still worry about Bangladesh's future and the potential challenges it may face. 

"Bangladesh is at a crucial point right now. With Sheikh Hasina's removal and attempts to improve the political system, there is a lot of optimism. People are hopeful that democracy will become stronger," she said on Thursday. The Anti-Discrimination Students Movement's quota reform campaign sparked a huge uprising that overthrew the Hasian-led Awami League government on August 5. Muhammad, a Nobel laureate, became the temporary government's chief adviser three days later.

"But there's also a lot of concern. Some Islamist extremists have been released from jails. There have been some attacks on minorities, Hindus, Christians,” Curtis, who served as National Security Council senior director for South and Central Asia from 2017 to 2021, told PTI in an interview. "We've seen a history of terrorism in Bangladesh. You had the Holy (Artisan) Bakery attacks in 2016. Very serious incident. You've had some ISIS (Islamic State) elements in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina had done a good job of controlling the extremist problem in Bangladesh, she added.

Bangladesh would not benefit from these elements returning to the political arena, which is clearly a source of considerable concern, she said. "It would not be helpful for the region, the United States, anyone. We are at a delicate time in Bangladesh. So even though it might not be the number one priority of (President-elect) Trump, I think his team, his national security team, will have to pay attention to what's happening (there)," she further said. 

Curtis said that the upcoming government should cooperate with India, which shares concerns about Bangladesh's future course and is more immediately affected by events due to its close proximity.