Bangladesh summons Indian envoy Pranay Verma to the Foreign Affairs Ministry office

PTI, December 03, 2024, Dhaka : Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to the Foreign Affairs Ministry office here, a day after Dhaka lodged a strong protest against the alleged vandalism of its mission in the Indian state of Tripura.

     

“He (Verma) came as he was asked to come when we conveyed him our concerns,” a Foreign Ministry official briefly said.

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.”