Dhaka to ask Delhi for avoiding worsening ties in top-level meeting next week

A Bangladesh delegation, led by Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, will ask the Indian side to avoid actions that would further worsen existing unstable ties during a top-level bilateral meeting in 16-17 February in Muscat, Oman.

Despite the Bangladeshi side continuously pursuing improved bilateral ties, certain Indian attempts risk undermining ties, the Bangladeshi delegation will point out in its address to the Indian counterparts.

Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will hold talks with Touhid Hossain, the second round of talks between the foreign affairs chiefs of Bangladesh and India since the formation of Prof Yunus-led interim government six months ago.

The meeting will be held on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference hosted by India’s research organisation India Foundation and Oman’s foreign ministry in Oman’s capital.

In September, during the previous meeting in New York, the two top foreign ministry officials from both countries agreed to take forward bilateral ties in the wake of the ouster of pro-Indian dictator Sheikh Hasina from power in Dhaka.

However, conspiracies against Bangladesh have continued in India and reached a pivotal point last week, when Hasina was allowed to deliver an online address from her exile in India.

Hasina made incendiary remarks, threatening and insulting last year’s uprising heroes, thereby instigating a mob to tear down numerous establishments linked to her and her party in Bangladesh. Dhaka has already written to Delhi seeking measures to prevent Hasina from making provocative statements.

Apart from Hasina’s speech a number of other Indian state-backed activities have worried Dhaka including border killings and repeated attempts to erect border fences in restricted areas.

To this end, the Bangladesh side would strongly ask Delhi to prevent the use of Indian soil for anti-Bangladesh activities, and measures against Hasina’s provocations.

Dhaka will also request Delhi to ensure that killings of unarmed Bangladeshis by Indian security forces and civilians are stopped, and other unlawful border activities like border fence constructions in restricted areas are avoided.