The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has confirmed to TIMES of Bangladesh that High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi remains in the capital, dismissing widespread reports by several Indian and Bangladeshi media outlets claiming he had flown to New Delhi for urgent discussions.
The clarification follows a flurry of media reports suggesting that Trivedi had departed Dhaka on 31 July, hours after a significant one-and-a-half-hour meeting with Sergio Gor, the US Special Representative for South and Central Asia and US Ambassador to India.
Those reports had alleged that Trivedi took an Indigo Airlines flight at 5:52pm on Friday, shortly after a meeting with Gor that was described as “unusually long.” The reports further claimed the envoy’s departure was so sudden that it pre-empted a planned game of golf at the Kurmitola Golf Club.
While officials from the US, India, and Bangladesh have not formally reacted to the Gor-Trivedi meeting, political analysts suggested the discussions was centred on the political future of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League.
This comes amidst Hasina’s recent assertions that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, despite the August 2024 upheavals that saw her and senior party colleagues take refuge in India.
High-level US engagements
The meeting between the US and Indian envoys took place a day before Gor’s formal meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. That meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon on August 1, lasted approximately 40 minutes.
Gor’s three-day visit to Bangladesh has been marked by a dense schedule.
On July 30, he held a brief one-on-one meeting with Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman at the Padma State Guest House, followed by a short session with Finance Minister Amir Khusru Mahmud Chowdhury and Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.
Government sources noted this meeting lasted no more than 10 minutes, and Gor cancelled his attendance at a dinner hosted by the Foreign Minister two hours prior to the event.
Following his discussions with Trivedi on July 31, Gor travelled to Cox’s Bazar alongside the American Ambassador to Bangladesh, Brent T Christensen, and 11 other US officials to assess the conditions of Rohingya refugees.
Before departing for the Indian capital around 3:15 pm on August 1, Gor and Christensen were observed visiting a handicraft showroom at the Dhaka North City Corporation Market in Gulshan-II and dining at the EPI Restaurant on the 19th floor of Rangs Z Square.
