‘Bangladesh, India ties were limited to party and individuals, need to be people-centric’

Dhaka: Bangladesh-India ties have to be made more people-centric as they were limited to a party and certain individuals during the tenure of former premier Sheikh Hasina, de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain said on Monday. “We want relations to develop among the general public. People of both countries should develop a belief that bilateral relations are very good,” Hossain said while responding to a question at a media briefing at the foreign ministry on whether there was a “golden chapter” in bilateral relations during the rule of Hasina’s Awami League party.

Both Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi often referred to relations between the two countries as being part of a “Shonali Odhyay” (golden chapter). Since Hasina stepped down and fled to India on August 5, some political parties in Bangladesh have criticised New Delhi for focusing too much on forging relations with the Awami League.

Hossain pointed out that it is possible to alleviate the anger among the people by taking the appropriate measures for the further development of bilateral relations.

On Sunday, Hossain had said that it would be up to India to decide the issue of sending Hasina back to Bangladesh in case Dhaka makes a request in this regard. He also said the interim government could ask for Hasina’s return if it received a directive from the courts.

Hossain told the briefing on Monday that reports in the Indian media about developments following the “revolution” led by Bangladesh’s students and public were “exaggerated”. Other international media outlets, which are known for their objectivity and impartial reporting, did not adopt a similar perspective, he said.

He acknowledged there were tensions between Hasina’s government and Western countries. He said the issues on which there were tensions are aligned with the agenda of the interim government and the students’ movement. “Therefore, I do not see any scope for conflict,” he said.

Responding to a question about Bangladesh’s relations with Pakistan, Hossain said, “We want friendly and dynamic relations with everyone. I believe there was some tension with Pakistan at some point for some reason. If it now evolves into a normal relationship, we should all be happy.”

He said interim government head Muhammad Yunus will travel to New York with a small delegation to take part in the upcoming UN General Assembly.

Indian envoy meets home minister

Meanwhile, Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma met de facto home minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury at his office on Monday and discussed various issues of mutual interests, including police cooperation between the two countries, border security, safety of Indian nationals, and exchange of information on flood warnings and forecasts.

Both sides agreed on the need to enhance border security to “reduce or eliminate border killings”, according to a readout from the Bangladeshi side. Verma sought Chowdhury’s cooperation for ensuring the safety of Indian students and other citizens in Bangladesh.

Chowdhury assured Verma that Indian students could return to Bangladesh and resume their education.

He said the two countries should work together on flood warnings and forecasts. Verma assured him that India will assist Bangladesh by providing necessary data and information in this regard.

The readout quoted Verma as saying that Indian visa centres have been reopened with a limited capacity for Bangladeshi nationals, primarily for those who need to travel to India for urgent medical treatment or for educational purposes.

Pakistan’s high commissioner Ahmad Maroof also met Chowdhury and called for overcoming the frostiness in bilateral ties over the past 15 years. Both sides agreed to facilitate mutual visa arrangements.

Maroof said Pakistan has announced a new visa policy two weeks ago, whereby citizens of 126 countries, including Bangladesh, will be able to travel to Pakistan without visas.

He also highlighted the importance of resuming direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan to enhance relations and business, and noted that the last direct flight between the two sides was operated by Pakistan International Airlines in 2018.

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