India says it supports free and fair elections in Bangladesh and hopes that differences here will be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka issued a public statement on Monday and posted it on its website supporting free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
“It is for the people of Bangladesh to decide their own future. India supports holding of free and fair elections in Bangladesh,” said the Indian High Commission statement.
“In a multi-party democracy such as Bangladesh, differences are best resolved through dialogue and peaceful means. This will strengthen democratic institutions and contribute to the realisation of the goals of peace, stability and development in Bangladesh,” the statement said.
So far India is the last to join the bandwagon of foreign countries, including EU, USA, China, Japan, Canada and Australia, urging Bangladesh’s politicians for a dialogue for a peaceful election.
Though the Dhaka-based diplomats of the next door neighbour have been actively engaged in diplomatic parleys along with US officials both in Dhaka and New Delhi seeking an end to political standoff, on Monday’s statement was the first formal response from India to the latest political developments in Bangladesh.
According to reports, during the last couple of months Indian and US diplomats have been engaged in close-door meetings with Bangladeshi politicians and outcome of those were not made public but this is the first time Indian High Commission published a statement on its website on the internal developments in Bangladesh.
The Dhaka-based envoys of USA and India had also parleys between themselves in Dhaka and New Delhi over Bangladesh’s current political situation.
Speculations have been rife in the diplomatic circle that India and USA are looking for common grounds to work closely to help Bangladesh find a way out. But so far there was no explanation either from Indian or US sides.
On Monday’s statement was issued in the backdrop of Bangladesh’s cabinet members submitting letters to the prime minister expressing their intention to resign to pave way for an interim cabinet and foreign ministers of both the country having a meeting in New Delhi.
Bangladesh diplomats, both in service and retired, see the statement significant in the current situation with the two major parties—ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP—standing poles apart from each other to sit in a much-emphasised dialogue. While ruling Awami League is in a festive mood gearing up for polls, the key opposition leaders are either in jail or haunted by arrest fear since the crackdown launched Friday midnight.
A senior foreign minister official said this was for the first time India made any statement public on Bangladesh’s current situation. “We think it is the beginning and more such statements will follow,” he said.
“The public statement from a country on the internal developments of another country acknowledges that the existing situation needs more attention than any other period,” former Director General of South Asia Desk of the Foreign Ministry Humayun Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune.
India was trying to send a message that emphasised on long-term relationship, he said.
“In the statement, Indians used the word ‘people’ and it signifies that they support democracy,” he explained.