NN Online:
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is expected to be in Dhaka on December 10, ahead of a high-level foreign secretary meeting between Bangladesh and India 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 on August 8, a diplomatic source told UNB on Wednesday.
However, there has been no official announcement yet regarding his visit to hold the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin.
Asked whether the scheduled Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) 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.
On November 21, at the Foreign Ministry’s weekly briefing, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing Toufique Hasan 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.
Sheikh Hasina, who fled Dhaka on August 5 and has been residing in India since then, is facing trial in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising.
While the government intends to bring her back, Hasan emphasised that the foreign affairs ministry 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, Hasan said that these fall under the jurisdiction of various ministries in Bangladesh.
