Foreign secretary Vikram Misri will visit Bangladesh next week to participate in the annual Foreign Office Consultations (FCO) at a time relations between the neighbours are inflamed as probably never before.
Although the meeting is a formatted diplomatic exercise, it is bound to be overshadowed by the turmoil that has engulfed Bangladesh in the aftermath of the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime and the anti-India sentiments that have swept the new power corridors in Dhaka.
This will be the first high-level visit by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government came to power in Dhaka after Hasina fled to India in August amid violent protests.
The meeting indicates an intent by the two capitals to keep the bilateral relationship on track despite the regime change in Bangladesh and the continuing attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, there.
While Dhaka had earlier this week indicated that the FCO meeting would be held next week, New Delhi confirmed it on Friday afternoon.
Responding to questions on whether Misri would travel to Dhaka as reported, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the foreign secretary was scheduled to visit Bangladesh for the FCO on December 9. "This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side.”
The meeting will come a week after protesters in Agartala put India on the defensive by breaching the premises of the Bangladesh assistant high commission.
India had to express deep regret and assure Dhaka that the government was stepping up security arrangements at the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi and the deputy/ assistant high commissions across the country.
Despite frequent statements by the Indian government and politicians on the condition of minorities in Bangladesh, Hasina’s presence in the country remains an irritant in the context of bilateral ties.
Hasina is facing trial in the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh.
The leader of the country’s interim government, Mohammad Yunus, has said Dhaka will seek her extradition. India and Bangladesh have had an extradition treaty since 2013.
Asked about the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Chittagong, Jaiswal said: “We have spoken on this issue earlier. We would like to iterate our expectation that relevant legal processes under way in Bangladesh are executed in a fair, just and transparent manner, ensuring full respect for the legal rights of concerned individuals.”
Mission summons
Bangladesh has summoned Shikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman, the acting deputy high commissioner in Calcutta, for urgent consultations following protests outside the mission over the attacks on Hindus, PTI reported.
Rahman, who is also minister of political affairs stationed in Calcutta, has returned to Dhaka.
“Ashrafur Rahman was called for urgent consultations following the ongoing protests outside our mission in Calcutta. Additionally, he will be part of the delegation during the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries slated for next week. He will be back by the middle of this month,” a senior official at the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Calcutta said on the condition of anonymity.
The mission in Calcutta has over the past week witnessed multiple protests by political parties and religious groups condemning the reported atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.