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This is an archive article published on December 11, 2024
Bangladesh taking action against attacks on minorities… situation improving: Foreign Secretary to Parliament panel
Misri’s presentation came a day after his return from Dhaka, where he held talks with his counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin on Monday.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri with Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus during a meeting in Dhaka, on Monday. (PTI Photo)
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who recently visited Bangladesh to hold meetings with their government officials, is learnt to have told a Parliamentary committee on Wednesday that the situation regarding attacks on minorities in the neighbouring country seems to be improving but Dhaka was upset over the “overblown media narrative” about it in India.
Misri on Wednesday briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on the India-Bangladesh ties and told the committee that following his interaction with his counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin in Dhaka, the regime has started taking action in matters related to attacks on minorities.
It is learnt that certain questions were asked on the status of Sheikh Hasina’s presence in the country and its shadow on India-Bangladesh relations. The Foreign Secretary is also learnt to have apprised the members that Hasina’s presence was in line with India’s culture and civilisational ethos of protecting friends. He, however, underlined that India did not endorse any of the statements that Hasina had made after her arrival in India.
The foreign secretaries of India and Bangladesh met in Dhaka on Monday, marking the first such meeting since the ouster of Hasina in August.
The committee, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is learnt to have been told that India was assured about the protection of minorities in Bangladesh, and that Delhi was hopeful of stronger ties with the country. The secretary also told the panel early elections in Bangladesh was also expected. A total of 21 members of the committee took part in the meeting on Wednesday.
The Foreign Secretary also informed the committee that he had conveyed India’s concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities to his counterpart in Dhaka and that he was assured of the country safeguarding the rights of the minorities there.
On how India saw the new Bangladesh regime, the foreign secretary is understood to have told the committee that it was not India’s job to give a certificate of legitimacy to any regime in any country. He added that it was for the people of that country to decide.
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Indicating that India-Bangladesh relations were gradually moving towards normalcy, the foreign secretary is learnt to have told the committee that the Indian High Commission in Dhaka was back to its pre-regime change strength and had begun processing visas to the tune of a thousand per day.
In an interaction with reporters after the meeting, Shashi Tharoor said, “We had an excellent briefing on Bangladesh and the Foreign Secretary, as you know, returned only yesterday from there (Bangladesh), he was able to give us a very thorough briefing. All the important questions that one can imagine were asked by the MPs. A lot of questions were asked. The Foreign Secretary answered comprehensively and candidly. We will be reporting to Parliament on the subject because it’s an official topic of the committee.”
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