Indian High Commissioner for Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Monday, a day after he met Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman.
The meetings have drawn interest amid reports that Tarique Rahman may not attend the BRICS summit in September in the wake of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's virtual press conference from New Delhi on August 5 and her strong announcement of her return to her homeland. Hasina’s speech, despite Dhaka raising objections to it, had further affected the relations between the both countries.
Local media reports hint that the one-and-a-half-hour meeting Trivedi had with the foreign minister was meaningful as it eased the fresh discomfort between the two countries. Trivedi is also said to have discussed the issue of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's participation in the BRICS summit, besides the Hasina issue.
At the meeting in Dhaka on Sunday, High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi highly praised Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and said that he is a very sincere person and all problems can be resolved through a face-to-face meeting between the top leadership of the two countries.
That said, speculations are that the High Commissioner made it very clear that New Delhi's position on Dhaka's demand for Sheikh Hasina's extradition or her return to Bangladesh as a convicted criminal remains unchanged. The Indian government has made it clear that Sheikh Hasina, who is a guest, will not be handed over to the Bangladesh government under any circumstances.
BRICS invitation
Meanwhile, political circles in Bangladesh have expressed displeasure over India’s invitation's reference to him as the 'Chairman of BIMSTEC'.
However, New Delhi has made it clear that in the case of such an international organisation, the rule is to invite its head. There is no question of disrespect here.
India has further strongly stated that the Indian government is sincerely willing to have Tarique Rahman, as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, visit Delhi in full state capacity on a bilateral visit this year, not only at the BRICS summit, but also as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
India has also extended its helping hand to Bangladesh, which is facing an acute power and energy crisis, when New Delhi has assured Dhaka of additional power and necessary diesel.
Political circles are now looking at the direction in which this multifaceted diplomatic equation between India and Bangladesh will turn in tomorrow's meeting.
