Bangladesh Foreign Minister cancels visit, Govt says Indo-Bangla ties very strong
Bangladesh Foreign Minister cancels visit, Govt says Indo-Bangla ties very strong
M.U.H
13/12/2019406
Soon after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen cancelled his visit to India amidst fierce protests in the North-East against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the Government on Thursday cautioned against reading too much into it.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told journalists at the weekly media briefing that there seemed to be some confusion over reported comments of Bangladesh Foreign Minister.
``There seems to be some confusion. We have explained that religious persecution are not happening under the present government in Bangladesh. Migrants who have sought refuge in India from Bangladesh have faced persecution and abuse on religious grounds during earlier military regimes in Bangladesh,’’ he said.
The spokesperson quoted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s observations made on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha, saying that till the time Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was alive things worked very well and also during the rule of present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina there was no persecution of minorities in Bangladesh.
He clarified that the current government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka was taking care of minorities and taking steps to secure their rights.
He said that persecution and abuse of minorities took place during the military rule and also during the previous government in Bangladesh. ``We have also acknowledged and we are aware that the present government in Bangladesh has taken several steps to address the concerns of minorities living there as per their Constitutional provisions,’’ he added.
Replying to queries, the spokesperson said that India’s ties with Bangladesh are very strong, adding that no bill or legislation would affect the relations between the two countries. He said as leaders of both the countries have said, ``this is the golden age of our relations.’’
The spokesperson said that Dhaka has conveyed the reasons behind postponement of Foreign Minister’s visit. He said that Foreign Minister’s presence was required at home due to domestic issues and Victory Day celebrations on December 16. Bangladesh Foreign Minister was scheduled to visit India on December 12 to 14.
Asked about Pakistan Prime Minister’s remarks on CAB, the spokesperson said: `` I do not think that we need to respond to every statement of Pakistan PM. All his statements are unwarranted, he should rather pay attention to the condition of minorities in Pakistan than comment on internal matters of India.’’