India, Bangladesh foreign secretaries hold first high-level meeting since Hasina’s ouster to address strained ties amid ‘attacks on Hindus’

A Bangladeshi foreign ministry official told the news agency PTI, “The meeting between our foreign secretary Jashim Uddin and his counterpart Vikram Misri is taking place as scheduled at the state guest house Padma.”

The discussions are expected to address a range of bilateral issues, particularly in light of the strained ties following Hasina’s departure amid widespread protests. The situation escalated further due to recent attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, raising concerns in New Delhi.

Analysts predict that the talks will likely cover the recent violence against minorities and the harassment faced by the Hindu community in Bangladesh, as well as the attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala. Interim government head Mohammad Yunus said that India may not have favoured the “revolution” that ousted what he termed a “fascist regime.” Members of his interim Cabinet suggested that Indian media had exaggerated the situation regarding minority harassment. Dhaka maintains that the sporadic violence is a reaction against the leaders of the ousted Hasina regime, asserting that the harassment of Hindus is linked to their political affiliations rather than their religious identity.

In September, a brief meeting took place between Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain and Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar during the UN General Assembly. Misri is also scheduled to meet Hossain and pay a courtesy call on Yunus.

Hossain is optimistic about overcoming the stalemate, saying, “We expect we will be able to overcome this impasse. Establishing mutual communication and meeting each other is very important to overcome any such stalemate.”

(With inputs from PTI)