Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pankaj Saran on Saturday said they were discussing Bangladesh political situation with other countries including the USA.
“I can say definitely that we are discussing the situation in Bangladesh with different countries who have an interest in peace and stability in Bangladesh. So we have discussed these issues with the American government,” Saran said.
When asked about Indian media reports on a meeting between US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which they discussed issues relating to Bangladesh, he did not make any comment on the media report.
“If you want confirmation on whether we have discussed with America, yes we have,” he told reporters while replying to a question after inaugurating the Dharmarajika dining hall-cum-library building at the Basabo Buddhist monastery in the capital on Saturday.
He did not elaborate as to what level or with whom the discussions took place. “I don’t want to go into detail about what level and with whom [the discussion took place].”
Indian government news agency PTI on November 8 published a news report stating that the US president had instructed his officials to ramp up consultation with Indian officials as he took the concern raised by the Indian prime minister seriously during a meeting at the White House.
When asked if India and the US are on the same page on Bangladesh’s issues, he declined to make any comment.
The Indian envoy said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy discussed the forthcoming elections with him and updated him on the on-going political situation in Bangladesh.
“Well he (Joy) actually had come with a view to updating us on the situation in Bangladesh and the views of his party, the Awami League, on the forthcoming elections and so on,”
He said the talks were part of the dialogue that India maintains with all political parties in Bangladesh whilst keeping the diplomatic norms in mind.
Joy met the Indian high commissioner and US Ambassador Dan Mozena last week.
Regarding the public statement posted on the Indian High Commission website on Bangladesh situation, he said: “The statement is not anything which is new from what our ministers have already been saying to the Bangladeshi audience during the visits to Bangladesh.“
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and a number of India’s senior ministers visited Bangladesh during the past one year and said more or less the same thing as was said in the statement.
Saran said: “I think there is a certain view we had and it was appropriate that we convey our views to the stakeholders concerned in Bangladesh, whether it is the political parties or anyone else who might be interested in our view. So it was only intended as a matter of clarification.”
The Indian High Commission statement said it supported free and fair elections in Bangladesh and it is for the people of Bangladesh to decide their own future.
“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.
