Bangladesh’s request for Modi-Yunus meeting at BIMSTEC summit under consideration: Jaishankar

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry gave a detailed presentation on India’s relations with Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh’s request for a meeting between its interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit is under consideration, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told a Parliamentary panel, according to a report by PTI.

At the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for External Affairs this year, held on Saturday, several MPs raised concerns over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and sought details on India's response, sources told PTI.

Jaishankar informed the members that Dhaka’s interim government has claimed the attacks were “politically motivated” rather than “minority targeted.” He also briefed MPs on India’s diplomatic ties with Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, adding that discussions on Pakistan and China would be addressed separately.

According to PTI, Jaishankar highlighted Pakistan’s obstruction of SAARC activities, leading India to focus on strengthening BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). He indicated that Prime Minister Modi might attend the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok from April 2 to 4 but did not confirm the visit. The minister also informed the panel that Modi is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka next month.

When asked whether Modi would meet Yunus for bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, Jaishankar remained non-committal, saying the request was still under consideration, sources told PTI.

Several MPs, including K.C. Venugopal, Manish Tewari (both Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), and Mukul Wasnik (Congress), raised concerns over targeted attacks on Hindus and questioned the government's actions, according to the PTI report.

Jaishankar assured the committee that the Indian government remains engaged with Bangladesh at various levels and has raised the issue, reaffirming its commitment to addressing the matter.

Bangladesh dominated discussions at the meeting, with most MPs actively participating in the debate. Some members, particularly from South India, also raised concerns about the livelihood of Indian fishermen and their disputes with Sri Lanka.

Additionally, a section of MPs flagged the issue of arms and drug smuggling into India from Pakistan and Myanmar. Jaishankar assured them that the government is actively addressing the problem and has raised it with the relevant authorities.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry gave a detailed presentation on India's diplomatic engagements with Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.