‘Trust Must Flourish’: Bangladesh Envoy Calls For Closer India Ties On Victory Day Amid Strains

Marking Bangladesh’s Victory Day, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah on Tuesday called for “closer and more meaningful” cooperation between India and Bangladesh, stressing the need for both countries to recognise their deep interdependence and shared interests.

Addressing the occasion, Hamidullah said the two neighbours must give “practical and meaningful expression” to their shared values and ideals as they work towards a sustainable future.

He noted that trust and mutual understanding should form the foundation of bilateral engagement for the benefit of people on both sides of the border.

“Bangladesh and India must embrace each other in building a framework of trust where engagement flourishes for the mutual benefit of our peoples,”

the High Commissioner said, underlining the depth of ties between the two nations.

Highlighting common cultural and geographic bonds, Hamidullah noted that the two countries share contiguous borders, cultural linkages and a common agro-ecological landscape.

“Ensuring peace, stability and prosperity of both peoples remains in our shared interest,” he said, adding that bilateral relations are deep, multi-layered and rooted in history.

Describing India–Bangladesh ties as an “organic relationship,” Hamidullah said people-to-people connections go far beyond numbers. “Our interactions are based on dignity, shared values, mutual trust and respect,” he said.

The remarks assume significance in the backdrop of recent diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Just two days earlier, Bangladesh had summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to convey concerns over what it termed anti-election activities linked to fugitive political figures, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India.

Dhaka alleged that statements by Hasina were encouraging unrest ahead of Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections scheduled for February next year.

It also reiterated demands for her extradition, along with former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and sought India’s cooperation in preventing alleged perpetrators of election-related violence from using Indian territory.

India, however, firmly rejected the allegations.

In a strong response, the Ministry of External Affairs said New Delhi has never allowed its territory to be used for activities harmful to the interests of the people of Bangladesh.

The MEA reiterated India’s consistent support for free, fair, inclusive and peaceful elections in Bangladesh and emphasised that maintaining law and order remains the responsibility of Dhaka’s interim government.