Foreign Secretary Misri arrives in Dhaka for talks amid frosty India-Bangladesh ties

DHAKA: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived here on Monday on a day-long visit to hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart, amid strained bilateral ties since August following the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Misri reached Dhaka on an Indian Air Force jet, officials said.

A senior Bangladesh Foreign Ministry official received him at the airport. Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma was also present at the airport.

He is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin and meet the country's de-facto foreign minister Mohammad Touhid Hossain.

Foreign Ministry officials said according to the draft schedule Misri would have a private meeting with Uddin at the State Guest House Padma at 11 am before joining a formal meeting or foreign office consultation (FOC).

He is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call to Bangladesh’s interim government head or Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Misri's visit comes amid increasing strain in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka over attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh after Hasina's ouster.

He is expected to raise with Dhaka India's concerns over attacks.

The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August. Nobel Peace laureate Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.

The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities as well as attacks on temples in the neighbouring country in the last few weeks that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.