Dhaka, Jan 1 (.) Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain has said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s Dhaka visit should be seen as a condolence call to attend the funeral of ex-PM Khaleda Zia and no diplomatic talks were held during the visit.
“It would be inappropriate to interpret this visit through the lens of inter-state relations or politics,” Touhid told reporters on Thursday. He remarked that Khaleda commanded respect beyond Bangladesh and that participation in her last rites was “natural”.
He emphasised her unique acceptance and respect among the Bangladeshi people, noting that “neighbouring countries acknowledge her stature, and all of South Asia recognises it”.
Touhid’s statement came a day after the Dhaka visit of Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who met with Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman and personally handed over a letter of condolences from PM Modi.
Jaishankar’s visit also came amid the downslide in ties between New Delhi and the interim government led by Mohammed Yunus, especially over anti-India remarks by some student leaders as well as advisors of the interim government, and the attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh.
Notably, the statement by the Foreign Affairs Advisor saying that Jaishankar’s visit was a purely condolence call, comes as the Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah said that the two countries will look forward to scripting a new chapter in bilateral ties following Jaishankar’s visit.
“As HE Dr @DrSJaishankar left Dhaka after a whirlwind 4-hr visit, #Bangladesh & #India would look forward to script a new chapter in Bangladesh-India ties, in shared interests driven by pragmatism and mutual interdependence, as indeed briefly discussed with @bdbnp78 Acting Chair, @trahmanbnp this afternoon,” he posted.
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