Foreign Secy briefs MPs after Dhaka visit, says Yunus govt has assured action on perpetrators behind attacks on Hindus

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday briefed the parliamentary standing committee on the current state of India-Bangladesh ties after his visit to the neighbouring country on Monday, during which he had called on Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus, met with the country's Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain and also held Foreign Office Consultations with his counterpart Jashim Uddin.

According to sources, Misri told the gathering of about 21-22 MPs, who attended the detailed briefing, that the interim government in Dhaka has assured action on perpetrators behind attacks on Hindus in the country.

The Foreign Secretary also emphasised that, during his meetings, the Yunus administration didn't mention about review of any agreement.

MPs across party lines also enquired about Sheikh Hasina's status in India, sources revealed after the briefing.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who heads the Standing Committee on External Affairs, later told reporters that "a lot of questions were asked" during the "excellent" briefing.

"We had an excellent briefing on Bangladesh and the Foreign Secretary, as you know, has returned only yesterday from Bangladesh. Fresh off the trip, he was able to give us a very thorough briefing. I am not at liberty to go into details but all the important questions that you can imagine were asked by the MPs. There was a good 21-22 MP turnout and a lot of questions were asked. The Foreign Secretary answered comprehensively and candidly. We will in any case be reporting to Parliament on the subject because it's an official topic of the committee, which would require a report," said Tharoor.

The briefing took place on a day when a Bangladesh court once again rejected the bail plea of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu priest and spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote also associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), who has been arrested and jailed by the local authorities on charges of sedition.

India has been reiterating that it hopes that the trial will be held in a "fair and transparent" manner as the arrested Hindus have legal rights that should be respected.

New Delhi has also urged the interim government's authorities in Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities, including their right of freedom of peaceful assembly and expression while highlighting that the arrest of Das follows multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh.

"The interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities. We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggerations. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last month.

On Monday, during his visit to Dhaka, Misri had conveyed India's concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities, during his meetings with the Muhammad Yunus, Touhid Hossain and Jashim Uddin.

"We also discussed some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties. We expect, overall, a constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities, and we look forward to moving the relationship forward in a positive, forward-looking, and constructive direction," Misri told reporters in Dhaka on December 9 following his meeting with Hossain.

--IANS

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