External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar "conveyed" to Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain that Bangladesh should not normalise terrorism, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The conversation took place during their meeting in Muscat earlier this week. Jaishankar held a series of meetings with his counterparts from neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on February 16. "Regarding whether SAARC came up for discussion or not. Yes, the matter was brought up by the Bangladesh side when the EAM met with Bangladesh's Foreign Advisor in Muscat. It was acknowledged that everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymying SAARC. EAM conveyed that it is important for Bangladesh not to normalise terrorism," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing on Friday. Meanwhile, according to reports, the discussion with Hossain primarily focused on the bilateral relationship and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the Bangladeshi side also raised the issue of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Hossain urged the Indian government to consider convening a meeting of the SAARC Standing Committee. Jaishankar and Hossain last met during the UN General Assembly in September 2024, marking the first high-level engagement between India and Bangladesh’s interim government following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Bangladeshi media reported that the two leaders also explored the possibility of a meeting between Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok from April 2-4. Despite India’s efforts to maintain strong ties with Bangladesh, the interim regime in Dhaka has faced severe criticism for its crackdown on minorities, particularly the Hindu community, following the fall of Hasina’s Awami League government. In December, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka to express New Delhi’s concerns over the safety and welfare of minorities in Bangladesh.
