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Foreign secy Harsh Shringla to visit Bangladesh, likely to meet PM Sheikh Hasina
Indian foreign secretary Harsh Shringla’s discussions in Dhaka are expected to focus on ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship, people familiar with developments said.
Indian foreign secretary Harsh Shringla will make a previously unannounced visit to Bangladesh on Tuesday, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, people familiar with developments said.
This will be Shringla’s first trip abroad since the Covid-19 outbreak. It will also be the first visit to Bangladesh by a senior Indian official since travel restrictions were imposed due to the pandemic.
Shringla, who earlier served as the Indian envoy in Dhaka, is expected to carry a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Hasina, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.
The people said Shringla’s discussions in Dhaka are expected to focus on ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship. He is expected to return home the same day.
There was no official word from the external affairs ministry regarding the visit.
Hasina visited India last October, while Modi’s planned visit to Bangladesh in March to participate in events marking the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was called off due to the pandemic. The two leaders have spoken on phone several times this year, most recently in May.
Ties between the two sides have been under some strain since last year, when Bangladeshi leaders were irked by comments from BJP leaders about deporting illegal migrants from Assam. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens also hit ties, and Hasina had questioned the need for CAA during an interview earlier this year.
India has taken several steps in recent weeks to improve connectivity with Bangladesh, including handing over 10 railway locomotives last month. This was done days after the first container train made its way from India to Bangladesh and the first shipment of goods was sent from Kolkata to Tripura via Chattogram port.
After taking over as foreign secretary in January, Shringla had visited Dhaka in March. Shringla had met Prime Minister Hasina during his last visit to Bangladesh.
