Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is likely to be in Dhaka on Tuesday as both Bangladesh and India are preparing for a high-level meeting next week.
Once finalized, this is going to be the first visit by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus came to power on August 8.
However, no official announcement has been made yet regarding his visit to hold the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin.
When asked whether the scheduled FOC would take place this month, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said: “I think it will be held.”
The discussions are expected to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, as well as visa-related matters.
At the Foreign Ministry's weekly briefing on November 21, Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing Toufique Hasan confirmed that an inter-ministerial meeting had already been held to coordinate preparations for the upcoming talks.
“There is a scope for discussion on the matter (extradition of Sheikh Hasina),” Toufique said during the briefing.
Sheikh Hasina, who fled Dhaka on August 5 and has been residing in India since, is facing trial in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for her alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising.
While the government is intent on bringing her back, Toufique emphasized 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, Hasan said that these fall under the jurisdiction of various ministries in Bangladesh.
