BD hopes to strengthen ties with India
Misri to visit Dhaka today
Kolkata traders to ensure security for Bangladeshi
After August 05, Bangladesh-India relations got worse for some vested propaganda to break the proven friendly relation.
Bangladesh is trying hard to mitigate the image and has proposed several times sending journalists from India to probe the incidents that went viral on social media.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday hoped that Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit would help to improve Bangladesh-India relations.
"We are hopeful about further strengthening our relationship with India. We aim to take our bilateral ties to a better place," he said during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy.
He emphasized that Bangladesh seeks a partnership with India based on "equity and dignity," highlighting the long-standing historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between the two nations.
The visit, scheduled for today, will include foreign office consultations led by the foreign secretaries of both countries, focusing on a range of mutually significant issues.
"This will be an opportunity to discuss various matters of mutual interest," Shafiqul said in response to questions about the agenda for the meetings and Bangladesh's expectations from the visit.
This will be the first high-level diplomatic engagement with India since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August.
The visit comes amid heightened tensions between the two neighbors on issues including the alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to raise with Dhaka India's concerns over attacks on Hindus and other minorities as he embarks on a day-long visit to Bangladesh today, in the first high-level trip from New Delhi after a massive uprising ended deposed Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule in August.
Misri is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and meet the country's de-facto foreign minister Mohammad Touhid Hossain.
It is learnt that the Indian foreign secretary is also likely to call on Bangladesh's interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus during his nearly 12-hour visit to Dhaka.
On its part, Bangladesh is likely to convey its concerns over India continuing to provide shelter to Hasina. Last month, Yunus said his government will seek Hasina's extradition from India, people familiar with Misri's visit said.
The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August. Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.
The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
There have been spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities as well as attacks on temples in the neighbouring country in the last few weeks that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.
"Our position on the matter is very clear -- the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities," External Affairs Ministry of India spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on November 29.
"We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggeration. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities," he said.
India also hoped that the case relating to Bangladeshi Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested on a charge of sedition, would be dealt with in a just, fair, and transparent manner.
In the meetings, the Bangladeshi side is also likely to raise an incident of storming of its mission in Agartala on Monday by a group of protesters.
Subsequently, Bangladesh's foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Indian envoy to Dhaka Pranay Verma, and protested the incident.
West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura witnessed protests in the last few days over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of Das.
Das was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last month in connection with a sedition case.
India on Friday announced that Misri is travelling to Dhaka to attend a meeting under the framework of Foreign Office Consultations.
"The foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations today. This is part of our structured interactions with the Bangladesh side," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in brief remarks.
Business owners in Kolkata on Saturday pledged to ensure the safety of Bangladeshi tourists.
This announcement was made during a press conference held by the Marquis Street, Free School Street Welfare Society, New Market Trade Association, and Hotel Owners Association in Kolkata.
They said: “We will not boycott Bangladeshis. We will provide them with as much security as possible so they can visit here without concern.”
Speaking at the press conference, Montosh Saha, president of the Marquis Street, Free School Street Welfare Society, mentioned that the influx of Bangladeshi tourists, which was a common sight a few years ago, has significantly decreased, leading to economic losses for both parties.
He added: “But my country comes first. I urge the governments of both countries to sit together and find an amicable solution.”
Saha highlighted the seasonal nature of tourism: “The season starts in December, and five to seven thousand Bangladeshis used to visit Kolkata daily. However, the current situation has reduced that number to only 5%.”
Montosh Sarkar, Joint Secretary of the Marquis Street, Free School Street Welfare Society, said, “Our New Market area heavily relies on Bangladeshi visitors. The businesses here, including money exchange services, hotels, and tourism-related ventures, depend on them. Their absence has significantly impacted, although we don’t see them as foreign tourists.”
He added: “They are like members of our family. However, the recent decline in the number of Bangladeshi tourists is concerning. We hope the situation will normalize soon. Some individuals are spreading rumors to damage relationships. We urge Bangladeshi tourists to disregard such rumors and continue visiting Kolkata.”
