Have Bangladesh and India started a working relationship afresh after the fall of Sheikh Hasina exactly eight months ago on 5 August, 2024?
Analysts say, yes.
“Whether it is moving the relationship forward by overcoming the discomfort or establishing a ‘working relationship’ while maintaining the discomfort, its path began with the Yunus-Modi meeting in Bangkok in the sideline of the BIMSTEC summit,” said one analyst.
The first bilateral meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Thai capital on Friday, after overcoming uncertainty, is being seen as a ‘positive’ event in the relationship between the two countries.
“Bangladesh is trying to adapt to a new reality. As a result, they are sincere in establishing a new understanding with all their neighbors, friends, and allies. They want to have allies on their side in new possibilities,” said former Bangladeshi ambassador Humayun Kabir.
According to him, mutual discussions at the top level create a kind of responsibility.
“They have reiterated their previous statements in bold. Even then, a common ground needs to be created. Understanding can be reached if both sides make some concessions,” added Humayun Kabir.
He believes ‘extradition or minority issues will not be an obstacle’.
After the meeting on Friday, the press wing of the Chief Adviser informed that Muhammad Yunus has asked Narendra Modi for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition.
“The CA advisor discussed Sheikh Hasina’s extradition in the meeting and the various incendiary (aggressive) comments she (Sheikh Hasina) is making while sitting in India,” the Chief Adviser’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, told reporters.
The demand for Sheikh Hasina’s return has always been in the discussion on behalf of the Bangladesh government and active political forces.
Many analysts believe that the discussion regarding ‘Sheikh Hasina’s extradition’ is not exactly comfortable for India.
Their discomfort with this issue was again seen in Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri’s press conference on Friday, where he somehow avoided the question related to this.
“There were talks on Sheikh Hasina’s extradition. Can’t say more on that,” Misri said during a special briefing on Modi’s visit to Thailand, according to Indian media DD News and ANI.
Commenting on the matter, Sriradha Dutta, a professor of international relations at OP Jindal Global University in India, said: Extradition is a complex process. Moreover, Sheikh Hasina is a friend and a guest in India. So even if Bangladesh says it from their position, India should not accept it.
“India also has concerns about the issue of minority Hindu persecution. They have raised that point,” she told BBC Bangla.
However, despite the differences regarding extradition or minorities, since there are efforts to move the relationship forward, Dutta believes that none of these will stand in the way in the future.
The relationship between Bangladesh and India started to be worsening since the sudden fall of the Awami League government in the face of a mass uprising in August last year.
Since then, the tension between the two countries has spread beyond the diplomatic sphere to political hate speech and even to the speech of many ordinary people.
Anti-Awami League political forces in Bangladesh as well as many commoners believe India was one major pillar to keep Sheikh Hasina in power.
But, the analysts are describing Friday’s meeting between Muhammad Yunus and Narendra Modi as an opportunity to overcome the tension that has been going on for several months.
However, both countries raised a couple of issues that were not to the liking of the other side at the summit.
Again, Dhaka and Delhi have tried to give an impression of the meeting by prioritising their own comments to the media.
So the old friendship between Bangladesh and India was renewed in the meeting of the top two leaders, according to the analysts.