India broadens dialogue with Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh

India is seeking to regularise ties with Bangladesh, with Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma having met with the advisors in charge of various key departments in the interim government, says The Hindu.

Verma met with Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd), Bangladesh’s adviser for home affairs, on September 2 to discuss “potential engagement to advance bilateral security cooperation”. A statement from the High Commission of India said that they had “exchanged views on border management, capacity building, and safety and security of Indian nationals and students in Bangladesh.”

This was followed by a September 7 meeting with the adviser on energy affairs, Mohammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, to discuss several development projects involving Indian partnership, as well as sub-regional power connectivity. This gained significance in the context of the controversy over the Adani group’s power supplies to Bangladesh, as Dhaka has indicated that it will seek a review of the agreement under which Adani has been supplying the energy generated by its Godda power plant.

Verma then held meetings with Salehuddin Ahmed, the adviser on economic affairs, and Farida Akhtar, the fisheries adviser earlier this week.

Willing to do business
These meetings indicate that India is willing to do business with the key figures in the interim government currently in charge of Bangladesh. They are also a continuation of the dialogue first held with Prof. Yunus on August 22 at Jamuna, the residence and office of the Chief Adviser.

Sources said that the meetings between the Indian envoy and the four advisers were cordial and indicated the willingness of the advisers to restore normal ties which have been affected by the absence of visa facilities. India had paused the issuing of visas to Bangladeshi travellers in view of the deteriorating security situation in the neighbouring country.

Unstable political ties
The meetings also signal India’s interest in safeguarding its major projects in Bangladesh. Political ties between the two sides, however, remain unstable, mainly due to the fact that Hasina sought refuge in India after fleeing Dhaka on August 5.

Soon after participating in the Voice of Global South summit on August 17 that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prof. Yunus adopted a tough line on India granting refuge to Hasina and asked her to “maintain silence” as long as she was on Indian soil. His stern comments, coming after his participation in the event, are learnt to have raised eyebrows in South Block.

With Modi scheduled to travel to New York to attend the United Nations’ Summit of the Future on September 22, it is not yet clear if he will meet Prof. Yunus there, on the sidelines of the event. Sources maintained that Indian diplomats are currently focused on ensuring smooth communication with the interim government and will wait for some more time before opening extensive communication lines with the major political parties that were part of the public uprising against Hasina.