The special meeting between interim government chief of Bangladesh Dr Mohammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in Bangkok shows that both countries will virtually work together to improve strained multilateral relations in the coming days, sources in Dhaka, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi said.

Dhaka–New Delhi multilateral relations that suffered a heavy blow after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina- the most trusted partner of the Indian government, stepped down on August 5, 2024 through a mass revolution……

Though Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pursues ‘Neighborhood First Policy,’ the Indian PM took eight months to meet Dr Mohammad Yunus in person since the latter took oath as head of the Bangladesh government on August 8, 2024 last year.

Earlier, Bangladesh approached India through the diplomatic channel to arrange a meeting between Dr Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the Summit.

Thailand hosted the 6th Summit of Bimstec in Bangkok, and Bangladesh will take responsibility as its next chair on 4 April.

Bangladesh has deep multilateral relations with India -- political, economic, cultural, social --   that need to be nurtured in the greater interest of both countries, said  a Bangladesh diplomat while talking to this correspondent.

Meanwhile, M Riaz Hamidullah, currently Secretary of west of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and a former ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, will go to New Delhi soon as next Bangladesh high commissioner to India

Hamidullah joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (foreign affairs cadre) in 1995 as part of the 15th batch. Over the years, he has served in key diplomatic positions, including at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations from 1999 to 2003 and the Bangladesh High Commission in India from 2003 to 2005.

New Bangladesh High Commissioner to India M Riaz Hamidullah and new Deputy High Commissioner Priti Rahman will work hard to improve the multilateral relations between Bangladesh and India that suffered heavily after Sheikh Hasina stepped down on August 5, 2024.



Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the talks between Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi created a ray of hope for the nation.

“It’s a matter of great joy the sideline meeting has been held at BIMSTEC. We think in the context of geopolitics and regional politics, the meeting created a ray of hope for us,” he told a media briefing at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.

Fakhrul added: “A possibility has been created so that the bitterness that had developed between India and Bangladesh does not go further or that it can be reduced. I feel that both sides are quite sincere in this matter and it will undoubtedly benefit the people of Bangladesh as well as India”.

The recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus at the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok marks a crucial moment in the evolving relationship between the two South Asian nations, said a high official  of the ministry of foreign affairs.

With former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s taking shelter in India  and India’s decision to provide her sanctuary, ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have remain tense, he said.

After killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujbur Rahman along with most family members on the August 15, 1975, Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana took shelter with their family members in India during 1975-1981.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and India--led by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin respectively--- held on December 9, 2024 was presumed to ease the visa complication. But the visa process has not been improved, rather complicated to cause sufferings to poor and middle-class patients and businessmen.

Bangladesh’s tourist arrivals in India during the concluded year 2024 dropped by 20 per cent compared to the previous year 2023  amid political rift between two neighbouring countries .

The USA topped the top tourist arrivals with 18.14 per cent, followed by Bangladesh with 17.57 per cent, UK 10.28 per cent, Australia with 5.20 and Canada with 4.78 per cent.

However, during the month of December 2024, a total of 53,495 Bangladeshis visited India, perhaps the lowest in the last 20 years, sources said.

According to the Tourism Board of India, a total of 16,96,735 Bangladeshi tourists visited India in 2024 as against approximately 2.12 million Bangladeshi tourists visited India in 2023.

Sources in Dhaka, Kolkata and New Delhi said that India will not normalize the visa process in case of Bangladesh unless Bangladesh has elected political government. However, the Indian visa process will not get momentum like that Bangladesh enjoyed during the regime of   Bangladesh Awami League, said  a Bangladesh  diplomat who worked in New Delhi in the past.

Meanwhile, in the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held on the sidelines of BIMSTEC meeting in Bangkok, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus enquired about the status of Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and requested Mr Modi to hand over Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh.

Professor Muhammad Yunus called for discussions with India to renew the Ganges Water Treaty and to conclude the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement.

The Bangladesh interim government's Chief Adviser made the call during a bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

The leaders of these two major South Asian countries greeted each other with mutual respect and a shared openness for dialogue. Their 40-minute exchange was candid, productive, and constructive.

"Bangladesh deeply values its relationship with India," said Professor Yunus.

"The deep-rooted friendship between our two countries is founded on intertwined histories, geographical proximity, and cultural affinity. We remain thankful for the unwavering support of the government and people of India during our most challenging time in 1971."

Although this was the first direct meeting between these two heads of government, Prof Yunus emphasised that the countries have remained engaged in numerous bilateral interactions over the past eight months.

Addressing the challenges facing the relationship between the two countries, Prof Yunus said, "Excellency, we seek to work together with you to set the relationship on the right track for the benefit of both our peoples."

Prof Yunus, who assumed the chairmanship of BIMSTEC, sought the support of India for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among the seven members of the group.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Prof Yunus on his assumption of the BIMSTEC chairmanship, and he greeted him on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr.

The Indian premier said New Delhi has always attached "highest priority" to its relationship with Dhaka.

He said the history of the two neighbours is intricately linked, and it goes back to the birth of Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi recalled the global stature of Prof Yunus. He said India would always support a progressive, democratic and inclusive Bangladesh.

He said India does not support any particular party in Bangladesh. "Our relationship is people-to-people," the Indian Prime Minister added.

Prof Yunus enquired about the status of Bangladesh's request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, which remains pending with the Indian government.

He noted that the former Prime Minister had been making inflammatory remarks in various media outlets and attempting to destabilise the situation in Bangladesh, which seemed to be an abuse of the hospitality India has extended to her.

"She has consistently made false and inflammatory accusations against the interim government of Bangladesh," Prof Yunus said.

"We request that the Government of India take appropriate measures to restrain her from continuing to make such incendiary statements while she remains in your country," he added.

Prof Yunus also referenced the UN OHCHR's Fact-Finding Report, which confirmed serious human rights violations and abuses committed by security forces and armed Awami League activists between July 15 and August 5, 2024.

He said the OHCHR report estimated that 1,400 protest-related deaths occurred, with approximately 13 per cent of the victims being children.

He stated the report also found reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity, such as murder, torture, and other inhumane acts, were committed during the protests.

The UN report notes that the Prime Minister herself had ordered security forces to kill protesters and specifically instructed them to "arrest the ringleaders, kill them, and hide their bodies."

The Indian Prime Minister blamed social media for the tensions around Sheikh Hasina's remarks.

He said India's attachment is with a country, not with any individuals or political organisations.

Prof Yunus also raised the issue of border killings and stressed that working together to reduce the number of fatalities would not only save many families' great anguish but would also help to build trust and confidence and to strengthen the relationship between India and Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Modi said Indian border troops opened fire only in self-defence and the fatalities occurred in Indian territories.

He said Bangladesh aims to increase the visibility of BIMSTEC and hopes that the organisation will emerge as an effective and vibrant entity capable of fulfilling the aspirations of the people in the region by giving them an efficient route for exporting and importing goods around the world.

Responding to Prime Minister Modi's concern over the condition of minorities in Bangladesh, the Chief Adviser said the reports of attacks on the minorities were hugely inflated and "the bulk of them were fake news".

He asked the Indian leader to send reporters to Bangladesh to investigate the alleged attacks themselves.

The Chief Adviser said he has instituted an effective system for monitoring every incident of religious and gender violence in the country, and his government was taking serious actions to stop any occurrence of such incidents.

Both leaders concluded their "fruitful and honest" dialogue by wishing each other good health and personal well-being and extended their best wishes for continued peace, progress, and prosperity for the people of both countries.

Bangladesh foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain, High Representative of Chief Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman, Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval were, among others, present on the occasion.

The political and security issues still dominate Dhaka–New Delhi relations over social and economic issues since the ouster of dictator of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, said diplomats, policy makers and business leaders.

Sources said that the India will have a natural expectation of protection and promotion of Hindu communities and Indian investment, smooth transit to northeast part of India over Bangladesh and a halt in rise of religious groups and less intensity with Pakistan and China.   

Bangladesh will have expectation of getting justified share of water of 54 rivers, stop border killings, issuance of Indian visa at previous level and stop of Indian propaganda against the Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has long been seeking Indian transit to enter Nepal with view to increasing connectivity with Nepal. Despite high –level political dialogues and talks, the issue remains pending over the years.

Inhabitants of BIMSTEC countries have a common interest in environment, culture, people-to-people contact, and climate change that political leaders of these countries have not worked out properly in the last 28 years.

Meanwhile, India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has reaffirmed India’s commitment to  maintaining a strong relationship with Bangladesh and stated that India always aims for strong ties with its neighbors. He made these remarks during an exclusive interview with Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) recently.

"We always strive to maintain good relations with our neighbors because, as former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, ‘We can change our friends, but we cannot change our neighbors.’ Therefore, we want to maintain a strong relationship with Bangladesh," said Rajnath Singh.

The statement comes amid political shifts in Bangladesh. On August 5, the Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina, stepped down following mass student protests, and an interim government under Dr. Muhammad Yunus took charge.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin said the summit further "strengthened and deepened" the relationship between Bangladesh and other Bimstec member states and will play an important role in advancing regional peace and development.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi patients spend 2.00-3.00 US dollars in medical expenses in different hospitals in India per year. India has squeezed the regular visa process since July 2024 with no sign of normalizing this year, sources in Dhaka, Kolkata, Bombay and New Delhi said.

Meanwhile, since the ouster of dictator Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, the India-Bangladesh relations show no sign of improvement as India has restricted issuing visa to Bangladeshis on national security ground, sources in Dhaka and New Delhi.

Spokesperson of India's foreign ministry Randhir Jaiswal  responding to a question of an Indian  reporter said the High commission of India in Bangladesh will start issuing visa at normal speed after law and order situation improves in Bangladesh and conducive situations prevail.

On the matter of visas for Bangladeshis, Jaiswal said limited visa operations were on, with medical and emergency visas being given.

Former Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA and incumbent President of the Bangladesh Economic Enterprise (BEI) M Humayun Kabir while talking to the correspondent said that Dhaka and New Delhi should work meticulously to deepen the relations and understand the mindset of the Bangladesh youth in the new perspective.