India’s former High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, has said that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s statement on India’s ties with Bangladesh clearly highlights New Delhi is prepared to work with the interim administration in Dhaka and speak to them on continuing cooperation.
Speaking to ANI, Sikri said that Misri in his statement covered full gamut of concerns that India has and talking about cooperation. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Bangladesh on Monday and held meeting with Chief Advisor to the Interim government, Muhammad Yunus and senior officials.
This visit marked the first high-level engagement between the two nations since the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, assumed office in Bangladesh.
Asked about Misri’s statement that “India desires a positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh,” Veena Sikri said, “It clearly highlights that. Yes, our government is prepared to work with the interim administration and we are prepared to talk to them continuing the cooperation and also to explain to them that what is happening is wrong. So, he is covering the full gamut of concerns that the government of India has and also talking about cooperation. So, I think the word that he has used mutually beneficial and constructive are very important in this regard. To show that we want only mutually beneficial cooperation, benefit to the people of Bangladesh must be there and I’m sure it will be there.”
The Foreign Secretary, who visited Bangladesh, told reporters in Dhaka that he had frank, candid, and constructive exchange of views with his interlocutors in the neighbouring country. Misri said he discussed the entire gamut of issues in the “extremely important bilateral relationship”.
Veena Sikri welcomed Vikram Misri’s visit to Dhaka and stressed that Indian government’s effort has been to maintain normalcy in bilateral ties. She noted that Foreign Secretary has said that his talks with officials in Bangladesh were “frank, candid and constructive” and added that his use of constructive implies that they want to carry it forward.
Speaking about Vikram Misri’s visit to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri said, “I think it is very good that our Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, has gone to Dhaka. It has been the effort of the government of India right from the events that took place on 5th of August. The effort of the government of India has been to maintain the normalcy in the relationship. from the very first day, we said that we are prepared to talk to the interim administration in Dhaka and have an exchange of views and to continue the constructive and mutually beneficial relationship that has been built up between India and Bangladesh for many decades now. So it is very good that in follow up of that initial statement made by the Government of India and following a meeting between our Foreign Minister Dr Jaishankar and the Foreign affairs advisor of Bangladesh that they also met in New York and agreed that the talks normalcy should be there, we can have continuation. So, now these talks have taken place.”
She recalled that Yunus in August assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he will do his best to maintain the safe and secure condition of religious minorities and stressed that the situation in Bangladesh has continued with grave seriousness.
Veena Sikri said, “I think the most important point that we can realise from the talks is that our Foreign Secretary said that the exchange of views that took place was frank, candid and constructive. So, I think these three say it all. The three words he has used to describe his exchange of views in Dhaka is very important because it shows that when he says constructive, we want to carry it forward. We want to continue the cooperation. There are so many projects, there are so many mutually beneficial projects trade, you know, power supply, infrastructure development, so many high visibility community development projects which are there, we must continue them because they are for the benefit of the people of India and Bangladesh.”
“At the same time, we are fully following and we are aware of what is happening in Bangladesh ever since 5th of August. And we do know that even on the 8th of August, after this message, Professor Muhammad Yunus telephoned our Prime Minister on the 16th of August and assured him that he will do his best to maintain the safe and secure condition of the religious minorities. But we do know that the situation has continued with grave seriousness since then, and there have been continued attacks on the minorities, on their business establishments, on their homes on their properties, women have been abducted, so it is a situation that is continuing to be a cause for concern and not only in India but we have seen in many other countries of the world and in India. It is very important to note that all communities, people of all religious groups, have spoken out in favour of the protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh,” she added.
She stated that people in India have in unanimity spoken about situation in Bangladesh and mentioned about the letter written by Citizens for Fraternity Group headed by Dr Yakub Qureishi and Dr Najeeb Jang to Muhammad Yunus to Muhammad Yunus.
Sikri said, “In fact, the Citizens for Fraternity Group headed by Dr Yakub Qureishi and Dr Najib Jang, they have written to Dr Muhammad Yunus and said to him that as Indian Muslims, we are ashamed of the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and these are against the tenets of Islam. They will go against the tenets of Islam. So I think that we have seen now that there is a, you know in India complete unanimity of the views of the people on the situation in Bangladesh. We wanted to come back to normalcy and it is in this effort that our Foreign Secretary has gone there, our foreign minister has decided to send the Foreign secretary. Our prime minister has spoken out clearly about the situation regarding the minority. I’m sure the talks in Dhaka today will have a positive impact because our foreign secretary is calling on Professor Muhammad Yunus as well. So, we will know about that outcome very soon.”
Rejecting interim administration’s denial about the incidents against minorities, which have been calling it a propaganda by Indian media, former Indian envoy said, “We are very hopeful that these will, you know, add to the strength of opinion in India on this subject and that the government in Bangladesh, the interim administration in Bangladesh, will no longer be in complete denial about it. They cannot see this is propaganda by the Indian media. I mean, this is absolutely amazing that they have been going on saying that and newspapers in Bangladesh are carrying long editorials on this propaganda proper by the Indian media. I don’t understand because when you are getting this direct feedback, the feedback is coming here to West Bengal and all other states on what is happening in Bangladesh. How come the people in Bangladesh are pretending that this is propaganda? It is a matter of great astonishment because I know many of the people who are saying this.”
She also stated that minority community have raised eight-point demand from the administration in Dhaka, calling for a law on protection of minorities. She spoke on how Bangladesh’s interim government has not acted against those who have vandalised places of worship of minorities.
Speaking about the situation of minorities in Bangladesh, Sikri said, “We’ve seen the very strong meetings in Bangladesh by the minority community, by the Hindus, the Buddhists and the Christians. They have said that we do not want to leave Bangladesh. This is our country. We are citizens. We want our rights and they have made an eight point demand for the administration in Dhaka. Very simple, you know, asking for a law on protection of minorities asking for a ministry for protection of minorities, asking for that those who have committed all these acts of violence and destruction, you know the temples have been vandalised, Temples have been desecrated, Churches have been vandalised, Buddhist shrines have been vandalised.”
“So, those who have done all these acts should be arrested and Justice should be done. We saw in Jeshoreshwari Temple very famous temple in Dhaka, that somebody stole the Golden Crown that had been presented by our Prime Minister…So then they aresaying this is still propaganda. But seeing all these visuals, no action has been taken. No arrests have been. So, I think that our foreign secretary’s visit, it will be very positive in this regard,” she added.
There have been multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh. There also have been cases of arson and looting of minorities’ homes and vandalism and desecration of deities and temples.
Arrest of priest Chinmoy Krishna Das in Chittagong on October 25 led to protests.India had on November 26 noted with deep concern the arrest and denial of bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is also the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote.
