'Yunus working personally to mend India ties': Bangladesh finance adviser
What's the story
The interim administration of Bangladesh is focused on strengthening ties with India and ensuring economic stability, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said on Tuesday. He emphasized that the government does not want any bitter relationship with its large neighbor. "The current interim government does not want any kind of bitter relationship with a big neighbor like India," Ahmed said after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement at the Secretariat.
Diplomatic efforts
Ahmed highlights Yunus's role in normalizing India-Bangladesh ties
Ahmed also highlighted that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is working personally to normalize ties with New Delhi. He said the interim regime doesn't want relations with India to deteriorate under any circumstances. Addressing recent anti-India remarks, he said they were political and not involving the interim administration. Despite political rhetoric, he stressed that the Yunus administration remains committed to maintaining stable state-to-state relations with India.
Economic cooperation
Bangladesh to import rice from India, strengthen economic ties
Ahmed also confirmed that Bangladesh would import 50,000 metric tons of rice from India. He said this move would further strengthen economic ties between the two countries. The finance adviser added there would be no barriers to importing essential commodities despite the current political situation, according to the Dhaka-based Bangla daily Desh Rupantor.
Diplomatic navigation
Bangladesh's interim administration navigates diplomatic tensions with India
The remarks come amid declining diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh. Anti-India protests erupted after the assassination of Osman Hadi, an independent candidate from Dhaka-8. His death led to attacks on Indian diplomatic missions in several Bangladeshi cities, prompting India to temporarily suspend visa services. Protests also took place outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi against the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu Bangladeshi factory worker.
Strategic concern
India's parliamentary standing committee issues warning over Bangladesh crisis
In response to these tensions, India's Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs issued a warning over the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh. The committee, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, described it as Delhi's biggest strategic nightmare since the 1971 Liberation War. Despite these challenges, Ahmed reiterated that his administration would not be drawn into any provocations or attempts to damage relations with India.