Bangladesh’s request for a meeting between its interim government’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the forthcoming BIMSTEC Summit is currently under consideration, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed a Parliamentary panel on Saturday.
During the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for External Affairs this year, several MPs raised concerns over reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, questioning what measures India was taking in response.
According to sources, Jaishankar stated that the interim government in Dhaka had claimed these incidents were “politically motivated” rather than specifically targeting minorities.
The External Affairs Minister briefed the MPs on India’s diplomatic engagements with Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, while noting that discussions on Pakistan and China would be held separately.
He also remarked that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) had remained inactive due to Pakistan’s approach, prompting India to focus on strengthening BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).
Jaishankar indicated that Prime Minister Modi may attend the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok from 2 to 4 April, but did not confirm the visit. He further informed the committee that Modi is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka next month.
Also read: Dhaka approaches Delhi to arrange Modi-Yunus bilateral talks
When asked whether Modi would hold a bilateral meeting with Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, Jaishankar remained non-committal, stating that the matter was still under consideration, sources said.
Several MPs, including K.C. Venugopal and Mukul Wasnik of the Congress, along with Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT), raised the issue of targeted attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh.
They sought to know what steps the Indian government was taking to address the matter. Jaishankar assured the panel that India was engaged with the interim government in Bangladesh at multiple levels and that the issue had been raised.
“The government will continue to do so,” he stated.
Bangladesh remained the focal point of the discussion, with nearly all members participating in the debate.
Meanwhile, some MPs from southern states highlighted concerns over the livelihood of fishermen and their ongoing issues with Sri Lanka.
Another issue raised was the smuggling of drugs and arms into India from Pakistan and Myanmar. Jaishankar assured the committee that the government was fully aware of the situation and had been addressing it through diplomatic channels.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri provided a detailed presentation on India’s relations with Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
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