Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to visit Bangladesh next week (December 10) for consultations,which would be the first trip to Dhaka by a senior Indian functionary since the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came on August 8, Hindustan Times reports.
The visit is going to happen at that time when diplomatic tensions created by various factors, including allegation of targeting Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and the disquiet in Dhaka over Hasina's presence in India, where she sought shelter after fleeing Bangladesh. Yunus and other leaders of the interim government have spoken of seeking Hasina's extradition from India. The interim government has protested the Indian media campaign of minority bashing in Bangladesh. The recent arrest of ASKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmacharia and the attack on Bangladesh mission in Agaartala in India have escalated tension between Bangladesh and India.
Meanwhile, both Bangladesh and India are preparing for a high-level Foreign Secretary-level meeting next week.
The visit by the foreign secretary was decided on at a meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Bangladesh's Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23.
However, there has been no official announcement yet regarding Vikram Misri's his visit to hold the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said earlier, "I think it will be held."
The discussion is likely to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India. The visa issues may be on the agenda.
According to Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing an inter-ministerial meeting has already taken place to coordinate preparations for the upcoming talks with the Indian Foreign Secretary.
"There is a scope for discussion on the matter (extradition of Sheikh Hasina)," official of the wing has said at a weekly media briefing.
Sheikh Hasina is facing trial in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal for alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising.
While the government intends to bring her back, however, Foreign office has not yet received any formal directive to initiate the extradition process.
"We will engage with Delhi and begin the formal process in accordance with the existing extradition treaty once we receive the necessary instructions," a foreign office official said.
Regarding the review of existing agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between the two countries, the official said that these fall under the jurisdiction of various ministries in Bangladesh.
