Will PM Modi meet Mohammad Yunus in Bangkok? This is what Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Bangladesh’s request

New Delhi: Bangladesh wants to talk to India and has sent a request for talks. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told a parliamentary committee meeting on Saturday that a request for a meeting between Bangladesh interim government chief Mohammad Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being considered at the upcoming regional group BIMSTEC Summit. Sources said that in the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Foreign Affairs this year, many MPs expressed concern over the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and asked what steps India was taking in this regard.

‘Attacks on Hindus were politically motivated’
Jaishankar told the members that the interim government in Dhaka has claimed that the attacks on Hindus were politically motivated and were not done by targeting minorities. Jaishankar informed the MPs about relations with Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. He said that he would talk about Pakistan and China separately later.

‘SAARC inactive due to Pakistan’
Jaishankar also said in the meeting that SAARC is inactive due to Pakistan’s attitude and hence India is trying to strengthen BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). He indicated that Prime Minister Modi may attend the BIMSTEC summit to be held in Bangkok from 2 to 4 April. However, this visit was not confirmed in the meeting. The Foreign Minister also told in the meeting that Prime Minister Modi will visit Sri Lanka next month.

Will PM Modi meet Mohammad Yunus?
Sources said that when asked whether the Prime Minister will meet Bangladesh interim government chief Mohammad Yunus and hold bilateral meetings with him during the BIMSTEC summit? On this, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar did not make any commitment and said that it is being considered.

Several MPs, including KC Venugopal, Manish Tewari (both Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT) and Mukul Wasnik (Congress), raised the issue of target killing of Hindus and asked what the government was doing to stop such attacks.

S Jaishankar said the government is in talks with the interim government in Bangladesh at various levels and the issue has been raised. He said the government will continue to raise the issue further. Bangladesh was the main topic of discussion and almost all MPs spoke on the issue. Some MPs, including MPs from the South, raised the issue of fishermen’s livelihood and their problems with Sri Lanka.

A section of members also raised the issue of narcotics and weapons being smuggled into the country from both Pakistan and Myanmar. The External Affairs Minister said the government is aware of the matter and is taking up the issue with the concerned parties. The first Consultative Committee meeting for Foreign Affairs 2025 had useful discussions on India’s relations with Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.