Bangladesh has requested the Indian government to take appropriate actions regarding the “propaganda, false information, and misleading statements” in the Indian media regarding the July uprising and minority issues, Foreign Secretary Jasim Uddin said today (9 December).
“We have also emphasised that people of all religions in Bangladesh have been practicing their religion freely and there is no scope for any confusion and propaganda in this regard,” he told reporters at a press briefing in Dhaka after holding Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
“We have also said this is our internal matter and it is not appropriate for other countries to comment on our internal matters. We also reminded that Bangladesh refrains from commenting on the internal matters of other countries and they should show the same respect towards us,” he added.
Jasim mentioned that the Bangladesh government has also called on foreign journalists to come and observe the real situation on the ground regarding minority attacks.
Speaking about his discussion with the Indian officials, he said, “Bangladesh is not liking Sheikh Hasina giving statements from India. He has been asked to inform [the Indian government of] that. They took note of that.”
Stating that there is a “lack of trust” between Bangladesh and India, Jasim said, “We have to go through this process because there is a lack of trust. Today’s meeting is the first step towards [building trust].”
He also said, “We think they are slowly accepting the rationality of our opinions. We hope the gap will decrease after today’s meeting.”
The foreign secretary also said he discussed the issue of Teesta River water sharing between the two countries.
“In the meeting, they were asked to make an agreement on the distribution of Teesta water. Besides, they [have been asked] to inform Bangladesh of flood forecasts.”
Furthermore, Bangladesh urged India to ensure uninterrupted import and export of goods between the countries.
The meeting also discussed importing hydropower from Nepal via India, and easing up the visa process for Bangladeshis.
