As the turmoil grows in Bangladesh and Hindus being continuously targeted by radicals, a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Advisor, Muhammad Yunus is likely to take place in April.
While a bilateral has not been confirmed, PM Modi and Yunus will likely meet on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The meet which will be held in Thailand will take place on April 3-4.
All eyes on PM Modi-Yunus meet
The two sides are working out a meeting on the sidelines. The possibility is being explored, but nothing is confirmed as of now, an official tells Organiser. The main summit will take place on April 4 and the possibility of an April 3 meeting between the two sides is being explored.
If the meeting takes place, then it would be the first interaction between the two leaders since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
PM Modi was earlier slated to travel to Thailand for the summit on September 3-4 last year. However the same got postponed due to certain domestic political developments in Thailand.
The meeting is an important one for both sides considering the developments that are taking place in Bangladesh today. New Delhi has maintained that peace should return in Bangladesh and there must be an immediate stop to the hostilities towards the minorities in the country. Violence against the Hindus scaled up massively following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August last year.
If a meeting takes place, PM Modi will echo the same sentiment that for ties to normalise, attacks on the Hindus should first stop. He would also insist that leaders in Bangladesh should stop targeting and blaming India for their problems. There has been a massive trust deficit since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. Unless this is bridged, then ties will remain tense always, India would indicate.
Moreover the PM will also stress on the importance of peace as it is important for regional stability. However there would be no compromises on the approach by the Indian side. New Delhi will also insist that in the interest of democracy and regional stability, Bangladesh will have to ensure that peace returns and elections are held at the earliest. Further in any negotiations the Jamaat-e-Islami will not be a party. The Jamaat is known to be close to the caretaker government. However it cannot figure in any talks since it is a banned outfit in India.
If talks are held there would be discussions on the role of Pakistan. India would make it clear that it would want minimum Pakistan presence in Bangladesh as Islamabad is looking to use the country as a launchpad against India.
Further the BIMSTEC summit would be an ideal venue to hold talks with Bangladesh, India has been promoting BIMSTEC as a model regional organisation. This was largely because SAARC had become inactive owing to tensions between India and Pakistan. BIMSTECH comprises Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. Since the summit is all about regional grouping, the India-Bangladesh meeting becomes important. Bangladesh as a member of BIMSTEC has a responsibility in contributing towards regional stability. However events in the recent months suggest that radicals are calling the shots and this directly threatens India’s security especially in the bordering states.
Conflicting messages
Last week External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar met with with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor, Touhid Hossain in Muscat. Post the meeting Dr. Jaishankar expressed concern regarding the interim administration’s hostile approach towards India. He also raised the issue about the atrocities being meted out against the minorities.
“What is especially concerning is the ongoing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. This impacts our viewpoint, and we have raised our concerns,” the external affairs minister said.
“If officials from the interim government keep blaming India for all their problems, some of which are entirely unfounded, it sends a conflicting message, Jaishankar said. This was in response to the Bangladesh government’s public criticism of India in thee same event. Jaishankar called this contradictory.
On one hand, they claim to want good relations with us, but on the other, they continuously blame India for their domestic issues. This is a choice they must make,” he also said.
Trump on Bangladesh
During PM Modi’s recent visit to the United States, questions were asked about America’s role in Bangladesh.
President Donald Trump made it clear that he would leave the issue up to PM Modi. He said that the PM has been working on it and hence he would leave the Bangladesh issue to him.
This is a positive development as India would like to work on its own when it comes to dealing with Bangladesh. India’s interests in the border areas depend largely on the stability in Bangladesh. Further there are factors such as the ISI meddling in Dhaka. All this are big headaches for New Delhi and hence it would be prudent for it to deal with this issue alone. Any kind of foreign interference on these matters could hinder India’s interests.
Although ties have soured, India has been talking with Bangladesh. There are talks held at the foreign secretary level as well as between the forces that are guarding the border. Both sides have ensured that there has been no flare up at the border.
Further India is also engaging with the BNP leadership. The BNP wants elections held soon. The party is accusing Yunus of delaying holding of elections and the BNP is suspicious that he may try and cling on to power eternally.
Over all New Delhi has a big role to play in Bangladesh. While the conduct of elections will be discussed, the first priority is trust building, protecting the minorities and keeping the border safe.
To ensure that there is no let up in security, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had visited Kolkata where he held talks with top security officials. The situation in Bangladesh was the main issue during the discussions. The officials identified some bordering areas in West Bengal as sensitive and it was decided to double security in these places.
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