Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrives in Dhaka today (Monday) to kick off the first high-level trip from New Delhi after a massive uprising ended deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule on August 5.
It is learnt that the Indian foreign secretary is likely to call on Bangladesh's interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus during his nearly 12-hour visit to Dhaka, sources said. Misri is scheduled to hold a meeting under the framework of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin, and meet the Foreign Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain.
"Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to raise with Dhaka India's concerns over attacks on Hindus and other minorities as he embarks on a day-long visit to Bangladesh on Monday in the first high-level trip from New Delhi," NDTV reports.
On its part, Bangladesh is likely to convey its concerns over India continuing to provide shelter to Hasina. Last month, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus said the government will seek Hasina's extradition from India. Once close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of massive anti-government protests in August.
The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said,
"The foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations on December 9. This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side." The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power in the neighbouring country.
The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Chinmoy Das. The attacks triggered protests in India.
The Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned the Indian envoy recently and lodged a protest over the storming of the Bangladesh mission in Agartala by a group of protesters. India last week said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the "surge" of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.
India had also hoped that the case relating to Chinmoy Das, arrested on the charge of sedition, will be dealt with in a just and fair manner. Foreign Secretary Misri and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Md Jashim Uddin, will lead their respective delegations at the Bangladesh-India Foreign Office Consultations (FOC).
Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said there are always efforts to keep all the elements of the bilateral relations on the agenda. "Discussion is underway," he said.
He, however, said there are some broad areas - trade, border management, connectivity, and water issues - and these will be discussed.
Asked about the current situation in Bangladesh and the arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, the MEA reiterated its hope that the legal rights of the concerned individuals are respected and the trial is conducted in a "fair and transparent" manner.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain on Wednesday (4 December) said Bangladesh wants good relations with India on a reciprocal basis.
"It is very clear that we want good relations, but it should be reciprocal. We need to work to that end," he told reporters while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The FOC is likely to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, and visa issues.
The last FOC, an institutional dialogue mechanism between the two foreign secretaries to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, was held in New Delhi on 24 November 2023.
Both sides held comprehensive discussions on a wide range of issues covering border and security, trade, commerce and connectivity, cooperation in water, power and energy sectors, people-to-people ties, and development cooperation in Bangladesh.
They also exchanged views on sub-regional, regional, and international issues. Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has stressed the importance of enhancing relations with India, emphasising the need to address issues head-on.
