In a significant diplomatic development, it has been confirmed that there will be no formal meeting between Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the upcoming BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok this April. This information was reported by the Hindustan Times, citing three local sources on Friday.
The report suggests that several members of the interim government have been regularly criticizing India, causing tensions between the two nations. In such circumstances, it is unlikely that a meeting between the leaders of the two countries could take place.
One source told the Hindustan Times, “Since world leaders will come face to face multiple times at the summit, a conversation between Dr. Yunus and Modi might occur, but nothing beyond that is expected.”
Another source added, “It seems difficult to arrange a formal meeting, especially with continuous criticism coming from some advisers of the interim government in Dhaka against India. These issues are not conducive to organizing a meeting.” The BIMSTEC summit will take place in Bangkok from April 2 to April 3, with members including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The summit is taking place at a time when Bangladesh-India relations have significantly soured over various issues. Notably, tensions have risen due to allegations of India sheltering former dictator Sheikh Hasina and false accusations of alleged persecution of minorities. Despite demands for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition on charges of genocide, India has yet to respond, further straining relations.
An Indian political analyst noted that if a meeting were to take place, Dr. Yunus might raise issues such as the Sheikh Hasina matter, which is one of the reasons why Modi is reportedly reluctant to meet directly with Bangladesh’s chief adviser. It is worth noting that Bangladesh had officially requested India to arrange a meeting between Dr. Yunus and Modi during the summit. This request was confirmed to the ANI news agency by Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain, on Thursday.
LND/ S H
