Conveyed our concerns on the safety of minorities, says Vikram Misri in Dhaka
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said he emphasised India’s desire for a “positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship” with Bangladesh
NEW DELHI: India on Monday conveyed to Bangladesh its concerns about the safety and welfare of the country’s minorities, with foreign secretary Vikram Misri saying New Delhi wants to work with the interim government in Dhaka to take forward ties in a positive and constructive direction.
Misri arrived in Dhaka on Monday for the annual foreign office consultations with his counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin amid unprecedented strain in bilateral ties over the targeting of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority and the arrest of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das. Misri, the first senior Indian functionary to travel to Dhaka since the change of government in August, also met de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain and caretaker administration chief Muhammad Yunus.
At these meetings, Misri highlighted India’s support for a “democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh” and reiterated New Delhi’s willingness to build a positive and constructive relationship with Dhaka based on “mutual trust and respect and mutual sensitivity to each other’s concerns”, the external affairs ministry said.
Jashim Uddin responded to the issues raised by Misri by claiming that there is “disinformation” and “false information” in the Indian media about the “alleged hostile treatment of minorities”. He said people of all faiths in Bangladesh are “independently practising their religion” and it wasn’t appropriate for other countries to comment on Bangladesh’s internal affairs.
After the consultations, Misri told the media in Dhaka that the two sides had a “frank, candid and constructive exchange of views”. He said the consultations focused on the “entire gamut of issues in the extremely important bilateral relationship”, and that he emphasised New Delhi’s “desire to work closely with the interim government” in Dhaka.
“At the same time, we also had the opportunity to discuss certain recent developments and issues, and I conveyed our concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities,” he said without giving details.
“We also discussed some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious and diplomatic properties. We expect overall a constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities, and we look forward to moving the relationship forward in a positive, forward-looking and constructive direction.”
India-Bangladesh relations have been strained since former premier Sheikh Hasina stepped down in the face of widespread protests spearheaded by student groups in August, and the subsequent formation of the interim government led by Yunus. Hasina sought refuge in India and Yunus and other leaders of the caretaker setup have spoken of seeking her extradition.
The power vacuum following the ouster of Hasina was marked by attacks on Hindus and other minorities and the torching and arson of the Indian government-run Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka. Several Indian states bordering Bangladesh, including West Bengal and Tripura, have witnessed protests by Hindu groups over the arrest of Das, who was held on sedition charges. The Bangladeshi consulate in Tripura’s capital Agartala was stormed last week by a large group of protestors, who vandalised property and desecrated the Bangladeshi flag.
Misri said both sides used the discussions to take stock of bilateral ties and that he emphasised India’s desire for a “positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship” with Bangladesh. India perceives its ties with Bangladesh as a “people-centric and people-oriented relationship” that has the “benefit of all the people as its central motivational force”, he said.
This is reflected in India-backed development projects and in the mutually beneficial engagement on a range of issues such as trade, connectivity, power, water, and energy and cooperation on development, consular and cultural issues. “There is no reason why this mutually beneficial cooperation should not continue to deliver in the interests of both our peoples,” he said.
Misri noted there has been contact between the leadership of the two sides since the political changes in Bangladesh in August. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first world leader to greet Yunus and the two leaders had a “very cordial telephone conversation” thereafter.
Yunus accepted Modi’s invitation to speak at the Voice of the Global South Summit hosted by India in August, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Bangladesh counterpart Touhid Hossain met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
Jashim Uddin told a separate media briefing that the Bangladeshi side drew the Indian government’s attention to “disinformation, false information and misleading statements” in the Indian media about the “alleged hostile treatment of minorities” and sought appropriate action.
“We emphasised that people of all faiths in Bangladesh are practising their religion independently and there is no scope for any confusion and misinformation...We also said this is our internal matter and it is not appropriate for other countries to comment on our internal affairs,” he said, speaking in Bengali.
Jashim Uddin said he had pointed out that Bangladesh “refrains from commenting on the internal affairs of other countries and other countries should show us the same respect”.
The Bangladeshi side raised a range of issues with Misri, including the alleged killing of people on the border by Indian security forces and trade barriers, Jashim Uddin said. He said the Indian side was requested to take “visible and effective” steps to “bring down border killings to zero”. He sought the Indian government’s help to tackle cross-border crime, drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
Besides calling for beginning the process to renew the Ganga Waters Treaty, which is set to expire in 2026, the Bangladeshi side emphasised the need to conclude an agreement on sharing the waters of the Teesta River.
“India is one of our largest trading partners. We laid emphasis on removing barriers like existing tariffs...to increase our bilateral trade. We requested India to take necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities,” Jashim Uddin said.
Dhaka also sought New Delhi’s cooperation for routing hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan through the Indian power grid, and for repatriating 1.2 million Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Jashim Uddin said the Indian side was requested to facilitate visas for the significant number of Bangladeshi citizens who visit India every year for tourism and medical purposes.