Bangladesh missing from travel ban despite jihadist chaos: Geostrategist blasts Trump policy

Geostrategist Brahma Chellaney has raised concerns over the US administration's selective approach to travel bans, pointing out that Bangladesh, despite plunging into rising jihadist violence, remains conspicuously absent from the list of nations subjected to Donald Trump's travel restrictions.

"Trump has imposed travel bans or restrictions on 39 countries. Yet Bangladesh is conspicuously missing from the list, despite its descent into jihadist chaos and the operation of anti-U.S. extremist networks there. Biden welcomed the August 2024 regime change in Dhaka; Trump now seems to be rewarding it with immunity," he wrote on X.

Chellaney's reaction came after the US government highlighted a recent call between Sergio Gor, the Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Yunus, during which they discussed US interests in advancing prosperity through trade.

Bangladesh has faced growing instability since Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country in August 2024. Experts claim that Yunus has allowed radical forces to gain influence in the nation. This has been further exemplified by the tragic mob killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man, who was beaten and set ablaze over alleged blasphemy charges.

The incident has drawn condemnation from US lawmakers, including Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who called for greater protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, stated, "I am appalled by the targeted mob killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man in Bangladesh—an act of violence amid a period of dangerous instability and unrest."

Similarly, New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar expressed her concern over the growing violence against Bangladesh's Hindu minority, calling the killing part of a "troubling" pattern of religious persecution.

Rajkumar noted that the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council had documented over 2,400 incidents of violence against minorities and more than 150 temples vandalised between August 2024 and July 2025.

While the US has expanded its travel ban to include nations like Syria, Mali, and South Sudan, Bangladesh and Pakistan remain notably absent.

Chellaney has previously called attention to Trump's uneven application of travel bans, suggesting that these actions often function as diplomatic leverage rather than straightforward security measures. "The pattern suggests that the so-called 'travel ban' functions not merely as a counterterrorism measure, but as a diplomatic cudgel, applied selectively to extract concessions," Chellaney said.

The geostrategist also suggested that Pakistan was spared because of Trump's family businesses.

"Pakistan's continued immunity is also difficult to separate from the growing entanglement between the Trump family's private business interests and U.S. national security policy. A multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency deal involving the President’s family appears to have given Pakistan a measure of protection from punitive U.S. actions that other countries have not enjoyed."