India has reiterated its concerns over the attack on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh, with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar informing the Lok Sabha on Friday that the treatment of minorities in the neighbouring country under Muhammad Yunus-led interim government “has been a source of concern”.
Speaking during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Jaishankar said that the issue was raised during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Dhaka earlier this week.
India expects Bangladesh to take measures in its own interest for the safety of minorities, he said.
“With regard to the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, it has been a source of concern. There have been multiple incidents of attacks on them. We have drawn our concern to their attention,” Jaishankar said responding to a question raised by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi regarding the safety of minorities and Hindus in Bangladesh.
“Recently foreign secretary visited Dhaka. This subject came up during his meeting and it is our expectation that in its own interest, Bangladesh would take measures so that its minorities are safe,” Jaishankar said.
The statement came within days of Yunus’s interim government on Tuesday (December 10) acknowledging 88 incidents of communal violence against minorities, primarily Hindus, following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.
The ties between India and Bangladesh came under a severe strain after reports of atrocities on minorities started emerging from the neighbouring country following the anti-government protests in August which forced Hasina to flee.
Speaking about India-Bangladesh ties under Yunus’s government, Jaishankar said, “Regarding Bangladesh, we have a good history of development projects. In fact, when we speak about the Neighbourhood First policy, almost in every one of our neighbouring countries, with the exception of Pakistan and China, we have had important development projects. That is the case with Bangladesh as well.”
“We hope that with a new dispensation in Bangladesh, we will settle down to a mutually beneficial and stable relationship,” the EAM said.
The response was again to Owaisi’s question who asked about India’s commitment of $10 billion to the development of Bangladesh.
Owaisi also asked the India government about the steps taken to stop drugs from entering India from Myanmar.
Responding to this, Jaishankar said that because of the disturbed conditions in Myanmar, India had to review the open regime policy. However, India is sensitive to the border communities, so it is something the government is working on.
“With regard to Myanmar, because of the very disturbed conditions in Myanmar, we have had to review the open regime policy which has historically been there, but we are sensitive to the requirement of the border communities, so it is something which we are working on and part of the challenge is that there is very little government authority on the other side of the border,” he said.
Jaishankar also informed the Lok Sabha that “India would like to have good ties with Pakistan, like with any other neighbour, but those ties must be free of terrorism”.
“We have made it very clear that it is for the Pakistani side to show that they are changing their behavior of the past and that if they don’t, of course, there are implications for the relationship and for them. So, I think the ball is very much in Pakistan’s court in this regard,” Jaishankar said.
On the measures that have been taken to improve trade and commerce with Pakistan, the EAM said, “I think some of the disruptions which happened happened because of decisions by the Government of Pakistan in 2019.”
Answering a question by Congress MP Manish Tewari, citing a report by an IPS officer, regarding the accessibility of checkpoints by the Indian Army amid disengagement by China, Jaishankar said, “What somebody wrote as a paper is for that somebody to answer for. I can answer for the government. I gave a very detailed statement on the disengagement and recent developments in the India China border areas.”
“In that statement, I highlighted that the last of the disengagement agreements had taken place which pertains to Depsang and Demchok,” Jaishankar said.
“…Indian security forces would be going to all the patrolling points in Depsang and would be going to the eastward limit which has historically been our patrolling limit in that part,” he said.
With inputs from agencies.
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Jaishankar on India’s neighbourhood: Vigil up at Myanmar border, eyes on Bangladesh
