‘Regular Exchange’: Indian Envoy After Meeting Bangladesh Foreign Secretary

New Delhi, India: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Bangladesh on Tuesday reportedly summoned Pranay Kumar Verma, the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, in response to a reported security breach at the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala, Bangladeshi news outlets reported.

The protests in Agartala were organized to denounce the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das and to bring up the alleged attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Demonstrators gathered in large numbers near the Bangladeshi mission, raising concerns about the safety and security of diplomatic premises.

Indian Envoy Terms the Meeting a ‘Regular Exchange’ 

Pranay Verma arrived at the Foreign Ministry Office in Dhaka at 4 pm local time. After meeting Bangladesh's interim govt acting Foreign Secretary, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma however termed it as a “regular exchange".

"This (meeting) was a part of our regular exchanges. We have such a wide-ranging and multi-faceted relationship with Bangladesh that you cannot reduce it to one issue or one agenda,” he said.

“We really want to build a positive, stable and constructive relationship moving forward. There are so many inter-dependencies we have and we want to build on those to mutual benefit. We have maintained a lot of positive momentum in the relationship. We are willing to engage with the interim govt of Bangladesh and we remain interested in working with Bangladesh to fulfil our shared aspirations for peace, security and development,  the Indian High Commission (IHC) in Bangladesh added.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain earlier said the Indian envoy was asked to come to the foreign office after the Agartala incident.

Verma, on the other hand, said Delhi wants to build a “constant stable, constructive relationship” with Bangladesh saying no single issue should stand a barrier for bilateral ties.

“We are willing to engage with the interim government of Bangladesh,” he told reporters emerging from the meeting with acting foreign secretary Riaz Hamidullah.

India on 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.

Verma also said there are many interdependencies and Delhi is keen to build on that for mutual benefits.

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.

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.

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.

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.” 

With inputs from PTI