Dhaka: Bangladesh Tuesday summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to the Foreign Affairs Ministry office here, a day after Dhaka lodged a strong protest against the alleged vandalism of its mission in the Indian state of Tripura.
Describing the India-Bangladesh relationship as “multifaceted” and one that cannot be reduced to a single issue or agenda, Verma told reporters after his meeting with acting foreign secretary Riaz Hamidullah that New Delhi remains interested in working with Dhaka “to fulfill our shared aspirations for peace, security and development.”
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain said the Indian envoy was asked to come to the foreign office after the Agartala incident.
India Monday described as “deeply regrettable” the incident of the breach of the premises of the Bangladesh consulate in Agartala in the northeastern state of Tripura, bordering Bangladesh, by a group of people protesting the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das here.
The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came hours after the protesters reportedly barged into the assistant high commission of Bangladesh and allegedly resorted to vandalism.
The envoy described the relationship as “multifaceted and wide-ranging,” which could not sit with one issue or agenda and India is interested to work with Bangladesh government to fulfill the two countries’ shared aspiration for peace, security and development. “We are working across so many issues. And we really want to build a positive, stable, constructive relationship,” he said.
Verma also said pointed out the many interdependencies and Delhi is keen to build on that “for mutual benefits.”
India will keep ensuring that the mutual cooperation benefits the two peoples, the number of positive developments that have taken place in the bilateral relationship in the last few months, “whether it is trade, it is power transmission, supply of essential commodities, we have maintained lot of positive momentum in the relationship,” he added.
“We are willing to engage with the interim government of Bangladesh, and we remain interested in working with the Government of Bangladesh to fulfill our shared aspirations for peace, security and development,” the envoy added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh announced that all consular services at its Assistant High Commission in Agartala will remain suspended until further notice “because of security reasons” with immediate effect.
Earlier in the day, terming the vandalism at Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission in Agartala as India’s “failure,” Law Affairs Adviser in the interim government Asif Nazrul asked New Delhi to reassess its neighbour afresh after the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina regime.
“We believe in a friendship based on equality and mutual respect. While Sheikh Hasina’s government followed a pro-India policy to cling to power without elections, India must realise that this is not Sheikh Hasina’s Bangladesh,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Three days after Hasina fled to India following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system, Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government.
The tension between the two neighbours simmering since August 5, when deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, aggravated further with the arrest of the Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das last week.
Nazrul alleged an outfit named Hindu Sangharsh Samiti was responsible for what he described as “the disgraceful act” when Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala was vandalised, and “Bangladesh’s national flag was set on fire.”
He emphasised that Bangladesh is an independent, sovereign, and self-respecting nation driven by a “fearless and dynamic young generation.”
PTI
