Interest of Bangladesh people foremost, hope for early restoration of law and order: MEA

India is concerned at the ‘evolving’ situation in Bangladesh in the aftermath of intense violence and Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the interest of the people of Bangladesh is foremost for New Delhi.

India also hopes for an early restoration of law and order in Bangladesh, which is in the interest of Bangladesh, as well as, the whole region, MEA said.

“The situation is evolving…this evening there will be a swearing-in of the interim government. So, once those things take place, one thing I would like to emphasize is as far as we, the government of India, people of India are concerned, the interest of the people of Bangladesh is foremost to our minds,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly press briefing on Thursday.

Being asked about the condition of Indian diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, the MEA said that non-essential staff and their families have been pulled back amid the situation and normal functioning will start once law and order is fully restored.

“There are four more assistant High Commissions other than the High Commission. We are in constant touch with them (Bangladesh authorities) for this and our nationals’ safety there. We expect that law and order will improve as soon as possible so that our High Commission becomes functional again,” Jaiswal said.

“We only have our non-essential staff members and their family members have come back…this is also the situation with other embassies, they have also pulled back their non-essential people. We hope that normalcy returns so that our High Commission and Assistant High Commission can begin their normal work as soon as possible,” he added.

Referring to the situation of minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA said it is monitoring the situation and welcomes steps by groups and organisations to ensure the protection and well-being of minorities.

“We are also monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities. There are also reports of various initiatives by groups and organisations to ensure the protection and well-being of minorities…We welcome these steps, but will naturally remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly concerned,” Jaiswal said.

“It is the responsibility of every government to ensure the well-being of all its citizens. We hope for the early restoration of the law and order situation in Bangladesh. This is both in the interest of Bangladesh as a whole and the larger region as a whole,” he added.