Md Touhid Hussain, the Foreign Affairs Adviser held the first diplomatic briefing of the recently established interim government of Bangladesh at the State guesthouse Padma on Monday. This meeting was attended by various foreign diplomats, including India’s High Commissioner (to Bangladesh)- Pranay Verma, and UN agencies.
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India urges Bangladesh to protect its minorities
Our PM Narendra Modi sent best wishes after the Chief Advisor of Bangladeshi interim government was sworn in on Thursday. He also urged the Nobel Laureate to take swift and efficient measures to ensure the safety of the Hindu and other minorities in their country.
Interim Government assures Indo- Bangladesh ties will not be hurt
Mr Touhid Hussain, who was the former representative of the Bangladeshi government to India spoke regarding Bangladesh’s international relations. He claimed that the country had succeeded in gaining its “second liberation” from the gross despotism of the “authoritarian” government of the Awami League, owing to the upheaval of the “courageous students”.
Bangladesh has been through a tumultuous few weeks, with the revival of a controversial quota law which triggered mass protests that left over 300 dead in its wake, its PM of 15 years resigning and the formation of new interim government. Mr. Hussain talked about Bangladesh ushering in a new era and how it would need the support of the global community through those times. The interim government is working industriously to ensure a quick return to normalcy and the re-establishment of democracy through fresh elections, he stated.
Hussain then went on to assure the diplomats of Bangladesh’s dedication to maintain healthy and smooth relations with all countries, while preserving its national interests. Bangladesh seeks to foster cordial relations with India, in light of the mutual interests of both the countries. He stated that matters as vast and delicate as bilateral relations cannot be navigated on the basis of “one individual’s stay in a country”.
India’s reluctance to bid Hasina adieu
This announcement comes as a major relief for India, which has been concerned about losing diplomatic ties to its historical ally, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader- Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, on Friday said that Hasina’s decision to stay in India depended on her and the Indian authorities. However, the Bangladeshi masses would not receive it well as she has been charged with several crimes like corruption and murder.
An official from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi has not interfered with Hasina’s stay in India and that the Indian Government has little to do with her prolonged stay here.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, in a recent interview lauded the Modi government for lending support to Ms Hasina during this time as she is a friend to India. He would have done the same if it were his place, he said.
Sheikh Hasina, 76 was forced to resign on August 5, after which she fled to India. She landed at the Hindon Airbase, located near Delhi on the same day. The former Bangladesh Prime Minister was supposed to seek only temporary asylum here and then depart to London, U.K. However, she has been unable to secure any arrangement to live in the U.K or the U.S. She is currently seeking asylum in the U.A.E or European countries.
