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Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has requested Narendra Modi to take measures to prevent Sheikh Hasina, who is in India, from making provocative statements.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus made this request in a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday.

This is his first meeting with Modi after Dr. Yunus assumed office last August.

The Chief Advisor’s press wing said that the 40-minute meeting between the two leaders was very cordial and constructive.

At the meeting, Dr. Muhammad Yunus said, Bangladesh values ​​its relations with India. The deep friendship between the two countries is based on mutual history, geographical location and cultural harmony. We are grateful for the unwavering support of the government and people of India during our most difficult time in 1971.

Referring to the challenges in the relationship between the two countries, Professor Yunus said, “We want to work together to take the relationship in the right direction for the benefit of the people of both countries.”

As the Chairman of BIMSTEC, Professor Yunus sought India’s support for a free trade agreement among the member states.

He also called for talks to renew the Ganges Water Treaty and conclude a Teesta Water Sharing Agreement.

Narendra Modi congratulated Dr. Muhammad Yunus on assuming the responsibility of the Chairman of BIMSTEC and extended greetings on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The Indian Prime Minister said that New Delhi has always given its relations with Dhaka ‘top priority’. The history of the two neighbours is inextricably linked and is related to the birth of Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Modi recalled Professor Yunus’ global stature and said that India has always supported a progressive, democratic and inclusive Bangladesh.

He said, India does not support any particular party in Bangladesh. Our relations are people-to-people.

Professor Yunus sought information from Modi about the progress of Bangladesh’s request for the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The chief advisor said that she (Sheikh Hasina) is trying to destabilize the situation in Bangladesh by making provocative remarks in various media outlets, which is an abuse of her asylum in India. She has been consistently making false and provocative allegations against the interim government of Bangladesh.

Dr. Yunus also told Modi that we request the Indian government to take appropriate measures to prevent her (Hasina) from making such provocative statements while she is in your country.

During the meeting, Professor Yunus also referred to the United Nations fact-finding report on crimes against humanity during the July uprising.

He said that the report stated that about 1,400 people were killed during the movement, of which about 13 percent were children. The report stated that crimes against humanity, such as murder, torture and other crimes, were committed during the protests.

The UN report noted that the then Prime Minister himself had ordered the security forces to kill the protesters and specifically ordered them to “arrest, kill and hide the bodies of the leaders”.

In response, the Indian Prime Minister, however, blamed social media for the tension surrounding Sheikh Hasina’s remarks. He said that India’s relationship is with the country, not with any individual or political party.

Professor Yunus also raised the issue of border killings at this time and stressed that working together to reduce the number of deaths on the border would not only save many families from great suffering but would also help build trust and confidence and strengthen the relationship between India and Bangladesh.

The chief adviser said, “I feel pained when killings happen. I urge India to find a ‘way’ to prevent these incidents.”

In response, Modi said that Indian border guards fired in self-defense and there were casualties on Indian soil.

However, the two leaders stressed the need to work together on this issue.

Responding to Narendra Modi’s concerns about the situation of minorities in Bangladesh, the Principal Advisor said that reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are exaggerated and ‘mostly fake’.

He requested Narendra Modi to send journalists to Bangladesh to get the real news on this issue, so that they can come here and investigate ‘these alleged attacks’.

The Principal Advisor said that he has created an effective system to monitor every incident of religious and gender-based violence in the country and his government is taking effective measures to stop such incidents.

Both leaders concluded the meeting by wishing each other good health and well-being.

Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Towhid Hossain, High Representative of the Principal Advisor Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were present at the time.

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