Indian foreign secretary likely to visit Bangladesh next week

DHAKA: Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri is likely to visit Bangladesh next week for a foreign secretary-level meeting, amid tensions between the two countries after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power. Foreign adviser Md Touhid Hosain said the scheduled Foreign Secretary-level Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and India will take place in Dhaka on December 9 or 10, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

It will be the first high-level visit by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government came to power on August 8 after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister.

"It is very clear that we want a good relationship (with India)," Hosain told reporters at the Foreign Ministry here.

However, he emphasised that relations between Bangladesh and India must be built on a reciprocal basis. "Both sides need to want that and should work for it."

Hosain said while the FOC is scheduled for December 10, it might be held a day earlier, on December 9.

During the high-level consultation, Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Indian Foreign Secretary Misri will lead their respective delegations, the news agency said.

The discussions are expected to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of Hasina and visa-related matters, it said.

Hasina is facing trial in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal for alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising.

The tension between the two neighbours, simmering since August 5 when Hasina fled to India, aggravated further with the arrest of the Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das last week.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.