Jaipur Bangladesh high commissioner to New Delhi, Muhammad Riaz Hamidullah, on Saturday expressed hope for a renewed mutual conversation and the creation of a “shared space” between India and Bangladesh amid strained bilateral relations.
“Half of the Bangladesh population will be urbanised in a few years. The new generation of Bangladesh is aspirational. We are looking at a shared space for both the countries where these aspirations could be fulfilled. I believe it is very much possible to make such a shared space, and begin a mutual conversation with respect, recognition, appreciation, and new calibration,” Hamidullah said during a session, titled Asian Drama, at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
The remarks assume significance as relations between the two countries have cratered since the formation of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in August 2024 following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led regime. Bilateral ties have come under further strain in recent months, with India citing “unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh” and Dhaka accusing New Delhi of spreading a false narrative.
Tensions flared up recently after protests in Bangladesh over the killing of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi took on an anti-India hue, raising concerns over the safety of Indian commissions. Both sides have called in each other’s envoys to the foreign ministry to lodge formal protests over developments that have impacted bilateral ties.
Referring to the reports of hostility against Hindu communities in Bangladesh, Hamidullah said: “Whether a society or state, it is all about establishing the rights of any community. Our society responded very promptly. Our government has acted upon every single such case reported. Our entire population has condemned it. I can assure you that these are stray cases. This is not a pattern.”
He also viewed the recent protests that led to a major shift in Bangladesh’s leadership, saying: “Our protest is very much different from what probably happened in Iran. Every state, every person is different. The protest in Bangladesh came out of some different circumstances- economic deterioration, crime against humanity, institutions being decayed etc. People felt the oppression becoming a roadblock and this is when the public- particularly the young population- felt that their rights were being robbed by the authorities and they protested.”