Diplomatic Correspondent :
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is likely to be in Dhaka on December 10 as both Bangladesh and India are preparing for a high-level Foreign Secretary-level meeting next week.
Once finalised, this is going to be the first visit to be paid by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, came to power in August 8, a diplomatic source said on Wednesday.
However, there has been no official announcement yet regarding his visit to hold the Foreign Office Consultations with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin.
Asked whether the scheduled Foreign Office Consultations will be held this month, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said, “I think it will be held.”
The discussion is likely to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India and visa issues.
At the Foreign Ministry’s weekly briefing on November 21, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing ToufiqueHasan confirmed that an inter-ministerial meeting has already taken place to coordinate preparations for the upcoming talks.
“There is a scope for discussion on the matter (extradition of Sheikh Hasina),” Hasan said at a weekly media briefing.
While the government intends to bring her back, Toufique Hasan emphasised that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet received any formal directive to initiate the extradition process.
“We will engage with Delhi and begin the formal process in accordance with the existing extradition treaty once we receive the necessary instructions,” he clarified in response to queries.
Regarding the review of existing agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between the two countries, he said that these fall under the jurisdiction of various ministries in Bangladesh.
