BANGKOK, April 4 (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first meeting with Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, on the sidelines of a regional summit in Bangkok on Friday, marking the first interaction between the two leaders since the removal of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
Relations between India and Bangladesh, which were strong under Hasina’s leadership, have soured since her departure in August amidst widespread student protests, which led her to seek refuge in India.
Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, assumed the role of chief adviser to the interim government in Dhaka following Hasina’s exit. He met with Modi during the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, an initiative comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Bhutan.
Bangladeshi public sentiment turned against India, particularly after the Indian government granted asylum to Hasina, with Dhaka requesting India to send her back for trial. India, however, has not responded to this demand.
India has raised concerns over the safety of its minority Hindu population in Bangladesh, which it claims has been targeted since Yunus took power. Bangladesh, however, has downplayed the issue, labeling the violence as exaggerated and not reflective of a communal conflict.
Harsh Pant, the head of foreign policy at India’s Observer Research Foundation, commented that the meeting could serve as the first step towards rebuilding engagement between the two nations. “Stabilizing the relationship should be the priority at this point,” he said.
The two countries share a 4,000 km (2,500-mile) border and have long-standing cultural and business ties. India also played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s independence during the 1971 war with Pakistan.
Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by John Mair