Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has highlighted the importance of clearing the political clouds that once overshadowed Bangladesh-India relations, emphasising the need for fostering a harmonious partnership between the two nations.  “The political clouds that once overshadowed our relations with India had to be cleared in the interest of both nations,” she said on Friday. She was speaking at an awareness and driver retraining programme on noise pollution control in the capital. Bangladesh, Morocco reaffirm commitment to strengthen bilateral ties While acknowledging the historical significance of Bangladesh’s the recent mass uprising, Rizwana stressed the importance of balancing this legacy with a forward-looking approach to bilateral relations.  “We cannot deny the impact of the recent movement in our nation while building friendly ties with India,” she added.   Noise Pollution and Environmental Initiatives In the same event, Rizwana announced that the Noise Pollution Control Act will soon be published as a gazette, reinforcing legal measures to combat noise pollution and protect public health. “Efforts are underway to finalise the necessary steps, and the act will be published shortly,” she said. India refrains from backing Hasina's criticism of interim government: Misri Political Reforms Rizwana also questioned the lack of progress in political reforms, urging political parties to take accountability for decades of stagnation. “If political reforms cannot be achieved without the involvement of political parties, why haven’t they been implemented in the last 53 years?” she asked, calling for immediate action.

LGRD Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan has said the government is moving away from a submissive foreign policy towards India. Instead, the foundation of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India will now be based on equality and justice, he said at the closing ceremony of a training workshop in Cumilla on Wednesday. 'Tarunner Utsab' aims to rebuild nation and strengthen unity: Asif Mahmud Bangladesh Rural Development Academy (BRDA) organized the workshop titled "Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Financial Inclusion & Rural Transformation" Saif Uddin Ahmed, director general of BRDA, chaired the closing ceremony. "After the July Uprising, the Interim Government has moved away from a submissive foreign policy with India; the bilateral relations between the two countries will now be built on the basis of equality and justice,” said Asif. Govt committed to ensuring cost-effective, high-quality energy: Rizwana He also expressed strong discontent over the attack at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in India’s Agartala, saying that the Interim Government had officially protested over the matter. The adviser reiterated that national development could be achieved through financial inclusion and rural development. He lauded the event by LGRD ministry, BRDA, and the African-Asian Rural Development Organization (ARDO), encouraging more such programs and expressed his optimism that participants would use the knowledge gained to contribute to rural development. Cumilla to be made division soon: Asif Mahmud  

Amid strained ties and growing criticisms from both sides on post-August 5 issues, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is coming to Bangladesh on Monday to hold several meetings apart from attending the foreign secretary-level talks to address mutual concerns.  This is going to be the first visit to be made by a senior Indian government official to Bangladesh since the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, came to power in August 8. Foreign Secretary Misri and his Bangladesh counterpart, Md Jashim Uddin, will lead their respective delegation at the Bangladesh-India Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). "The Foreign Secretary is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on the 9th of December. He will meet his counterpart, and there will be several other meetings during the visit," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday.  The FOC led by the Foreign Secretaries is a structured engagement between Bangladesh-India.  "We look forward to this meeting," said the MEA Spokesperson.  Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said there are always efforts to keep all the elements of the bilateral relations on agenda. "Discussion is underway." He, however, said there are some broad areas - trade, border management, connectivity, and water issues - and these will be discussed.  Asked about the situation on the ground in Bangladesh and the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, the MEA reiterated its hope that the legal rights of the concerned individuals are respected and the trial is conducted in a "fair and transparent" manner. "As far as the situation on the ground regarding the individuals you want to know, we want to reiterate our position again that they have legal rights and we hope that these legal rights will be respected and that the trial will be fair and transparent. They will get a fair and transparent trial," Jaiswal added. Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is associated with the Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25 on 'sedition' charges.  Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said Bangladesh wants good relations with India on a reciprocal basis. “It is very clear that we want good relations, but it should be reciprocal. We need to work to that end,” he told reporters while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The FOC is likely to cover a range of bilateral issues, including the potential extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India and visa issues. At the Foreign Ministry's weekly briefing on November 21, former Director General of the Public Diplomacy Wing Toufique Hasan said, "There is a scope for discussion on the matter (extradition of Sheikh Hasina)."  Sheikh Hasina, who fled Dhaka on August 5 and has been residing in India since then, is facing a trial in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for alleged involvement in mass killings during the July-August uprising. While the government intends to bring her back, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet received any formal directive to initiate the extradition process. Dhaka will engage with Delhi and begin the formal process in accordance with the existing extradition treaty once we receive the necessary instructions. The last FOC, an institutional dialogue mechanism between the two foreign secretaries to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, was held in New Delhi on 24 November 2023.  Both sides held comprehensive discussions on a wide range of issues covering border and security, trade, commerce and connectivity, cooperation in water, power and energy sectors, people to people ties and development cooperation in Bangladesh.  They also exchanged views on sub, regional, regional and multilateral issues.

Accusing India of trying to destabilise the interim government, BNP senior leader Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Friday said no country would succeed in hatching a conspiracy against the 18 crore united people of Bangladesh. “What are India and some Hindu community members here now creating a kind of problem and defaming us all over the world, denting our image? Their only goal is to create chaos here and try to make this government fail,” he told a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club. Hold another long march to intensify demand for right to river water: Dr. Moyeen Khan Pro-BNP student leaders of Ducsu and the All Party Students Unity (Apsu) of the 90s arranged the programme, marking the Fall of Autocracy Day. On December 6, 1990, military dictator HM Ershad stepped down in the face of a mass upsurge and handed power over to a caretaker government, ending his nine years of autocratic rule which began with his coup on March 24, 1982. Mosharraf, a BNP Standing Committee member, said various conspiracies are being hatched over minor issues. BNP submits recommendations to Police Reform Commission “Have the Hindu community only been living in Bangladesh for three months? They have been living here in great harmony since independence,” he said. The BNP leader called upon all, regardless of religion or caste, to confront all conspiracies. “Our leader Ziaur Rahman solved this problem by saying that there is no such thing as Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim here. Everyone is a citizen of Bangladesh and Bangladeshi. So, why should we create such a division here and tolerate this?” he said. BNP's Rizvi calls for Indian product boycott The BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh have repeatedly changed the government through mass uprisings. “So there is no scope to undermine the people of this country. The people will decide what their government will be and how they will run the country.” He said the country’s people, regardless of all religions, must unite to maintain peace and move towards the development of the country. “If our 18 crore people here are united, then no matter what country they are in, they will not be able to succeed in any conspiracy against us,” the BNP leader said. He said the current government is committed to carrying out reforms as the previous government ruined all the state institutions. Mosharraf urged the government to give priority to a prompt reform of the election system and come up with an election roadmap. He said those who are conspiring against Bangladesh after the revolution of the students and the people are showing their audacity. The BNP leader said the Awami fascists, who were forced to resign in the face of the joint movement of the students, the people, and political parties of this country, took shelter in India illegally. “They’re conspiring from there (India). You can all feel the efforts they are making to create division among us,” Mosharraf said. In such a situation, he said all democratic forces should stand by the interim government for the sake of the country and its people. “BNP has been supporting this interim government… This government must hold an acceptable election to hand power over to the people,” the BNP leader said.

Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata’s acting mission chief Sikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman has returned home and met Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Thursday as part of “consultations.” Assistant High Commissioner in Tripura Arifur Rahman was also scheduled to return home following the recent incidents in Kolkata and Agartala, said a diplomatic source. Tensions between Bangladesh and India grow over attack on Agartala mission Tensions between Bangladesh and India escalated following Monday's attack by a Hindu religious group on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala, Tripura, prompting the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry to summon the Indian High Commissioner for a formal protest. Amid the evolving situation, Bangladesh authorities on Tuesday suspended all visa and consular services at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala. The government of Bangladesh said it "deeply resents" the "violent demonstration and attack" by a large group of protesters of the Hindu Sangharsh Samity of Agartala on the premises of the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala. Visa, consular services at Bangladesh mission in Agartala suspended The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, underlined that this "heinous attack" on a diplomatic mission of Bangladesh and desecration of the national flag of Bangladesh comes in a pattern, further to a similar violent demonstration in Kolkata on November 28, 2024. "It is very clear that we want good relations, but it should be reciprocal. We need to work to that end," Adviser Hossain told reporters while responding to a question at the foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Dhaka, Dec 4 (UNB) – BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of harbouring deep-seated Hindu nationalist views, despite her public stance on secularism. “Although Mamata publicly advocates for secularism she secretly holds extremist Hindu nationalist beliefs. She has allied herself with the communal BJP government. This alignment undermines her professed secular values,” Rizvi told a pre-procession rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Wednesday. BNP demands withdrawal of Mamata's UN peacekeeper statement Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Front arranged the procession in protest against the recent attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, India. The procession, which started from the Press Club, paraded streets up to Nayapaltan. Accusing it pursuing a politics of hatred and divisiveness, Rizvi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come to power by exploiting hardline Hindu nationalism and managed to maintain its position by promoting violence. BNP not an obstacle to AL ban, says Rizvi Rizvi also criticised India's media for spreading anti-Bangladesh propaganda, alleging that Indian outlets, fuelled by Prime Minister Modi’s regime, continue to manufacture false narratives in order to destabilise Bangladesh.

Members of the Islami Andolon Bangladesh held a protest outside the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka condemning the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in India’s Agartala and to denounce “anti-Bangladesh provocations” by India. Yunus Ahmad, IAB General Secretary, said, "We want a peaceful Bangladesh. We are 150 million strong, with 300 million hands ready to fight for equality. Authorities must investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice quickly. We have received reports of Bangladeshis being persecuted at the border. They are carrying out terrorist attacks. We will not tolerate such conduct from the Indian side." BNP expects India to respect Bangladesh's democratic aspirations Imtiaz Alam, president of the Dhaka South City unit of the organisation, said, “Apologies alone are not enough. Indian ministers must introspect. Muslims, Christians, and Hindus are all citizens of Bangladesh." Speakers at the protest said India is harbouring fascist Sheikh Hasina. Media outlets in India are fuelling violence; they have tried to instigate conflict in Bangladesh, they said. Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma summoned to MoFA If India fails to apologise publicly, they will demand an end to all relations with India, they warned. The protest march began at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram and proceeded through Bijoy Nagar Water Tank area, concluding at the Paltan intersection. Attack on Bangladesh Mission: India arrests 7, suspends 3 cops On December 2, supporters of several Hindutva organisations attacked the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission premises in Agartala, Tripura, in protest against alleged minority persecution in Bangladesh.

The government of Bangladesh on Monday said it “deeply resents” the “violent demonstration and attack” by a large group of protesters of the Hindu Sangharsh Samity of Agartala on the premises of the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, underlined that this “heinous attack” on a diplomatic mission of Bangladesh and desecration of the national flag of Bangladesh comes in a pattern, further to a similar violent demonstration in Kolkata on 28 November 2024. “This particular act in Agartala stands in violation of the inviolability of diplomatic missions, as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, asks for,” the ministry said. BNP demands withdrawal of Mamata's UN peacekeeper statement The government of India, in a separate statement, said they are taking action to step up security arrangements for the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and their Deputy/Assistant High Commissions in the country. "The incident earlier today of the breach of premises at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala is deeply regrettable," said the Ministry of External Affairs. Security enhanced for Bangladesh missions in India Diplomatic and consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances, the Indian ministry said. As it is the responsibility of the host government to protect the diplomatic missions from any form of intrusion or damage, the government of Bangladesh called upon the government of India to take immediate action to address this incident, to undertake a thorough investigation into the incident. Bangladesh sought steps to prevent any further acts of violence against the diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in India, including the safety and security of the diplomats and the non-diplomatic members of staff and members of their families. The accounts received conclusively attest that the protesters were allowed to aggress into the premises, by breaking down the main gate of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in a pre-planned manner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Indian media spreading propaganda about Bangladesh: Home Affairs Adviser In the process, in the presence of the members of the local law enforcement agencies, they vandalised the flag pole, desecrated the national flag of Bangladesh and also damaged properties inside the Assistant High Commission, the government of Bangladesh said. Regrettably, the ministry said, the local police persons present in charge of protecting the premises were found not to be active in containing the situation from the beginning. Bangladesh wants friendly, normal relations with India: Foreign Affairs Adviser All members of the Assistant High Commission are left with a deep sense of insecurity, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Highlighting the historic bondage, Indian President Droupadi Murmu has expressed hope that the relations between the two countries will further be strengthened in the coming days based on goodwill, trust, understanding and mutual respect. She made the remarks when outgoing Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran met her at the latter’s office at Rashtrapati Bhaban on Tuesday. During the meeting, the High Commissioner conveyed greetings and warm regards to the President and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. They discussed various issues of bilateral cooperation including the recent successful visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, which has further consolidated the existing relationships between the two neighbouring countries, said the Bangladesh High Commission in a media release.

The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to New Delhi will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding, says India on Thursday. PM Hasina will pay a state visit to India on September 5-8 at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. She last visited New Delhi in October 2019. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said they will soon brief the media in detail about the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister. During her visit, PM Hasina will meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar apart from holding bilateral consultations with her counterpart Modi. Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on PM Hasina, said the Ministry of External Affairs. Hasina is also likely to visit Ajmer. Also read: “BGB vigilant, none can enter from Myanmar now” In recent years, both sides have sustained a high level of engagement, including at the highest level, MEA said. Bangladesh and India have finalised the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on interim water sharing of Kushiyara River ahead of PM Hasina's visit. The first unit of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant will go into commercial operation in early October in a major stride in growing Bangladesh-India power sector cooperation, officials said. Unit-I of 1320 (2x660) MW coal-fired power plant was successfully synchronized with the national grid on August 15. After completion and successful synchronization of Unit-I of the power plant, further synchronization-related activities are currently being undertaken, following which Unit-I will be handed over to the government of Bangladesh, said the officials involved in the project. Prime Minister Hasina and her Indian counterpart Modi are expected to jointly announce the completion of Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant first unit’s construction during her visit to India. The two countries also welcomed finalisation of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni river to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 Bangladesh-India MoU on this subject. Also read: UN lauds Bangladesh's good practices in countering terrorism, preventing violent extremism At the 38th ministerial level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi on August 25, Bangladesh requested India in signing the MoU for withdrawal of water by Bangladesh and India from the common stretch of Kushiyara River at an early date. The Indian side assured that the issue is under their consideration. Both sides agreed to conduct the feasibility study for optimum utilization of water received by Bangladesh under the provision of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which seven rivers have been identified earlier for developing the framework of water sharing agreements on priority.