Dhaka to act against perpetrators of violence, FS briefs House panel

Bangladesh has assured action against perpetrators of violence against minorities in that country, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs on Wednesday, according to sources.

A day after returning from Dhaka, Misri on Wednesday briefed a Parliamentary panel on his interactions with top leaders of Bangladesh’s interim government, including Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, described the briefing as “thorough” but refrained from sharing specific details. “All important questions you can imagine were asked by the MPs. There was a strong turnout of 21-22 MPs, and a wide range of questions were raised,” Tharoor told mediapersons after the meeting where Misri briefed the panel on the subject ‘Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship’.

Sources said several MPs asked Misri about the status of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India. However, Misri’s reply to the queries was not immediately known.

Misri is also understood to have told the panel that contrary to media reports, Yunus did not talk about review of any bilateral agreements with India.

Tharoor is said to have asked Misri about the possibility of MPs going to Bangladesh.

The possibility of the panel visiting Bhutan was also explored during the meeting.

He noted that Misri addressed the queries “comprehensively and candidly”. Tharoor added that the committee would report to Parliament on the meeting’s outcomes as it is an official agenda item requiring a formal report, expected sometime next year.

“For now, discussions will continue, and a very good beginning has been made,” said Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram.

Misri’s visit marked the first high-level diplomatic contact between New Delhi and Dhaka, as well as the first structured Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster on August 5. (With PTI inputs)