With an eye towards a thaw in relations, Foreign Office Consultations have begun between the foreign secretaries of India and Bangladesh. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Dhaka in an Indian Air Force aircraft around 8:30am today (9 December).
This is the first visit of a secretary-level Indian government official since the fall of the Awami League government and the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who has been staying in India since 5 August. Bangladesh and India have been embroiled in a bitter war of words, with the former emphasising that relations between the two going forward will have to take the changed reality since 5 August into consideration.
With deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina still holed up in India and Indian media carrying out a relentless disinformation campaign against Bangladesh, things have come to a head in recent weeks. Both sides have let their opposition be known – Indian saris have been burnt in demonstrations in Bangladesh, while Jamdani saris have been burnt in India.
At the same time, the arrest of a former Iskcon leader has also ruffled weathers in India, but Bangladesh has maintained this was their internal matter. Meanwhile, Ishrat Jahan, director general (South Asia wing) of the foreign ministry received the Indian foreign secretary upon his arrival in Dhaka.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma was also present. Foreign ministry sources said the Indian foreign secretary is meeting his Bangladesh counterpart Md Jashim Uddin and will have several other meetings in Dhaka.
According to the draft schedule, after participating in the secretary-level meeting, he will join lunch. Then he will pay a courtesy call on Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain and Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus.
Messenger/EHM
