India’s prime minister met with the head of Bangladesh’s interim government. The meeting occurred on the sidelines of a regional summit in Bangkok on Friday, according to the Bangladesh government’s press office. This was their first meeting since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last year.
Relations between the South Asian neighbors were robust under Hasina. However, they have deteriorated since she fled the country in August. She sought shelter in India due to massive student-led protests.
Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, took over as the chief adviser of an interim government in Dhaka after Hasina’s exit. The press office reported that Yunus met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the fringes of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.
BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, includes Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
Public opinion in Bangladesh turned against India. This was partly due to India’s decision to provide sanctuary to Hasina. New Delhi has not responded to Dhaka’s request to send her home for trial.
India has repeatedly urged Bangladesh to protect its minority Hindus. They say Hindus are being targeted in the Muslim-majority country since Yunus took charge. Dhaka claims the violence has been exaggerated and is not a communal issue.
Harsh Pant, foreign policy head at the Observer Research Foundation, said, “The hope would be that this meeting would start the process of rebuilding some engagement.”
Pant added, “I think at this point, simply stabilizing the relationship perhaps should be the priority.”
The two nations share a 4,000 km (2,500 mile) border. They also have longstanding cultural and business ties. Furthermore, India played a key role in the 1971 war with Pakistan. This war led to the creation of Bangladesh.
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