Jaishankar For Beneficial, Stable Ties With Dhaka, Urges Visible Shift In Pakistan

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, making a statement about Bangladesh that covered familiar ground.

“We have a good history of development projects, and it is our hope that with the new dispensation in Bangladesh we will settle down to a mutually beneficial and stable relationship.”

“With regard to their treatment of minorities, it has been a source of concern, there have been multiple attacks on them, we have drawn their attention to our concern,” he said in response to a question.

“Recently Foreign Secretary Misri visited Dhaka, this subject came up at his meeting and it is our expectation that in its own interest Bangladesh will take measures so that its minorities are safe.”

Misri’s visit is seen as restoring the conversation with Bangladesh’s new rulers.  That was required given the anti-India narrative emerging from there and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities.

Dhaka later informed that there were 88 incidents of attacks on minorities and 70 people had been arrested for acts of communal violence.

On Pakistan, again in reply to a member’s question, Jaishankar said “We would like to have good relations with Pakistan like any other neighbour. But we also desire relations free of terrorists.”

“We have made it clear,” he said, “that it is for the Pakistani side to show they are changing their past behaviour. If they don’t, of course there are implications for the relationship and for them. The ball is very much in Pakistan’s court in this regard.”

He called for a “visible shift” in Pakistan’s behaviour, clarifying that the freeze on trade was Pakistan’s decision in 2019. It came in the wake of India changing J&K’s status from a state to a Union Territory.

That was India’s internal decision and had nothing to do with Pakistan. It was for Pakistan to figure out whether it wanted trade with India or not.