India reiterated on Thursday that it will continue working with Bangladesh's interim government to achieve the "shared aspirations" of the people in both countries, while respecting their "respective national priorities."
During a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir Jaiswal addressed several questions about Sheikh Hasina’s extradition and her current status in India.
Jaiswal dismissed questions about Sheikh Hasina’s extradition as "hypothetical" and said: "We do not answer hypothetical questions."
He confirmed that Hasina had arrived in India on August 5 at short notice and added: "I have nothing more to say at this time."
Responding to comments by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in a recent interview, where Yunus suggested Hasina should remain silent while in India and that New Delhi should consider perspectives beyond her narrative, Jaiswal reiterated India's stance: "Our High Commissioner (Pranay Verma) had gone to call on the interim Chief Adviser, Head of the Interim Government and he had conveyed that India will continue to work with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of the people of both countries for prosperity, security and development," he said
On a query about Adani Power's agreement with the Bangladesh Power Development Board for the supply of electricity from its plant in Godda, Jharkhand, Jaiswal termed it a "buyer-seller agreement" between the two parties, saying it was up to them to resolve any issues.
Jaiswal also addressed the status of the India-Bangladesh friendship pipeline, which supplies diesel from Numaligarh in Assam to Parbatipur in Bangladesh.
He affirmed that the project is fully operational, adding that India had made proposals to extend the pipeline and is awaiting a response from Bangladesh.
When asked about the revival of India-Bangladesh bilateral development projects, the MEA spokesman stated that work would resume once law and order stabilizes in Bangladesh, allowing the return of Indian workers involved in the projects.