India wants stable ties with BD: Verma
FE Report | Wednesday, 4 December 2024
India wants to build constant stable and constructive relationship with Bangladesh, said Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pranay Verma on Tuesday.
"We have a wide ranging and multifaceted relationship. You cannot reduce it to one issue" the envoy said after meeting Acting Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The envoy was summoned by the Bangladesh foreign ministry following an attack on the premises of Bangladesh Acting High Commission in Agartala by a group of Indian protestors on Sunday.
The protest was organised following what they called attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
The Indian High Commissioner said India and Bangladesh had so many things to collaborate on.
"There are so many interdependencies between the two countries. We want to build on the dependencies to mutual benefit," Verma said.
He said there have been many positive developments in the two countries over the years including in the areas of power supply, essential commodities. Mr Verma said India was ready to engage with the interim government of Bangladesh and was committed to working together to achieve shared aspirations of peace, security and development. Amid the evolving situation, Bangladesh authorities on Tuesday suspended all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, at a separate briefing at the Foreign Service Academy, said India is a big neighbour and Bangladesh wants good relations with the neighbor. "But we think this good relationship should be based on just and equity."
UNB adds: Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has stepped up vigil along the border to thwart any evil activities and unwanted situation.
The brief statement from the BGB headquarters was issued on Tuesday, a day after radical Hindu protesters attacked Bangladesh's Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura.
Tension between India and Bangladesh has heightened following the recent arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges. Saiful Islam Alif, a 32-year government lawyer, was killed amid clashes outside a court in Chattagram on November 27 following the arrest.