'Not on schedule': Dhaka requests, Modi declines; may not meet Yunus in US as attacks on Hindus persist
India has not shown any willingness to follow through on Dhaka's proposal.
- Sep 18, 2024,
- Updated Sep 18, 2024 8:15 PM IST
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the US and to address the United Nations General Assembly, it is now being learned that he will not meet Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus.
As reported by the Hindustan Times in a report, sources have indicated that earlier this month, Bangladesh formally had requested a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA, which both are set to attend. Dhaka was reportedly eager for the meeting, hoping it would ease tensions that have emerged in bilateral relations since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.
However, India has not shown any willingness to follow through on Dhaka's proposal. Modi’s three-day visit to the US will be packed, including the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, and his address at the Summit of the Future at the UNGA on September 23.
“There will be bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, but a meeting with Bangladesh’s interim government head is not on the schedule,” HT quoted a source as saying.
As per reports, although scheduling conflicts could be one of the reasons, but the recent remarks by Yunus against India, and especially the ongoing attacks on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, with Yunus being unable to quell the attacks, could possibly be construed as key reasons behind India's refusal to speak with Dhaka at this point.
Bangladesh under Yunus has also been pressing for Sheikh Hasina's extradition, with Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh’s interim foreign minister, also raising the possibility of seeking Hasina’s extradition, acknowledging it could create an “embarrassing situation for India.”
India, on the other hand, has made it clear that Hasina was granted entry into the country at short notice after her resignation on August 5. Hasina has remained at an undisclosed location in India and has been largely incommunicado. The Ministry of External Affairs has described discussions about a potential extradition request as purely hypothetical.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the US and to address the United Nations General Assembly, it is now being learned that he will not meet Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus.
As reported by the Hindustan Times in a report, sources have indicated that earlier this month, Bangladesh formally had requested a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA, which both are set to attend. Dhaka was reportedly eager for the meeting, hoping it would ease tensions that have emerged in bilateral relations since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.
However, India has not shown any willingness to follow through on Dhaka's proposal. Modi’s three-day visit to the US will be packed, including the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, and his address at the Summit of the Future at the UNGA on September 23.
“There will be bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, but a meeting with Bangladesh’s interim government head is not on the schedule,” HT quoted a source as saying.
As per reports, although scheduling conflicts could be one of the reasons, but the recent remarks by Yunus against India, and especially the ongoing attacks on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, with Yunus being unable to quell the attacks, could possibly be construed as key reasons behind India's refusal to speak with Dhaka at this point.
Bangladesh under Yunus has also been pressing for Sheikh Hasina's extradition, with Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh’s interim foreign minister, also raising the possibility of seeking Hasina’s extradition, acknowledging it could create an “embarrassing situation for India.”
India, on the other hand, has made it clear that Hasina was granted entry into the country at short notice after her resignation on August 5. Hasina has remained at an undisclosed location in India and has been largely incommunicado. The Ministry of External Affairs has described discussions about a potential extradition request as purely hypothetical.