Remarks on the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Bangladesh: Reaching Dhaka

Then the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri’s visit to Bangladesh This week said that “people are the key stakeholders in India-Bangladesh relations, and noted that India’s development cooperation and engagements with Bangladesh … are focused on the interests of the people of Bangladesh.” This outreach is both welcome and necessary. While Mishri reportedly brought up Delhi’s concerns about minority rights to Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, the broader tone of the visit appeared to be directed towards “political proof” of bilateral ties. But relationships don’t improve overnight. This requires diplomatic engagement based on realpolitik.

Over the last decade, Delhi and Dhaka have forged a relationship that is considered one of the most successful in India’s immediate neighbourhood. To solve legacy border problems, connectivity projects and investments, both public and private, have had huge benefits. However, these advances were accompanied by the perception that Delhi was close to Dhaka’s special regime. Anti-Indian forces fueled this sentiment after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. It was good for the Foreign Secretary to emphasize that the relationship between the two countries is not about ideology, but for the benefit of the people. Attacks on minority and diplomatic institutions like the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center in Dhaka are unfortunate and call for strong condemnation. Viewing violence only through a sectarian-religious lens does more harm than good. Civil society in Bangladesh has succeeded in marginalizing its extremists – the intersection of notions of identity and national loyalty has always been fraught.