Foreign Affairs Advisor M Touhid Hossain on Saturday said, "We are not a threat to anyone, and we do not want anyone to be a threat to us. We want to maintain good relations with all countries."
He said this while speaking at a roundtable titled “Bangladesh-India Relations: Expectations, Barriers and Future.”
The South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and the Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS) of North South University (NSU) hosted the event at its campus in the capital.
Touhid said there has been no progress on crucial issues between Bangladesh and India such as the Teesta water-sharing agreement or the troubling problem of border killings.
“Such incidents do not occur along the borders of other countries unless there is a state of war,” Touhid said adding that India must take responsibility for these issues.
“If individuals commit crimes, they might be prosecuted in court, but shouldn’t be killed,” he added.
Touhid also raised concerns about an aggressive media campaign in India against Bangladesh, especially since August 5, noting that such rhetoric was detrimental to fostering healthy relations between the two nations.
“In such a complex relationship, our (Bangladesh) media has a key role to play in fact-checking and providing accurate coverage, especially regarding statements from our foreign ministry,” Touhid said.
Despite current diplomatic challenges, the adviser expressed optimism about the future of Bangladesh-India relations accepting the reality in the context of the post-August 5 changed situation.
“There is a change in the relations after August 5. This is reality,” he said.
However, the foreign adviser said, Dhaka wants to remain optimistic that “we would be able to establish a good relation with India making sure that bilateral interests are protected”.
Touhid emphasized the importance of a national consensus on foreign policy, saying Bangladesh could not fully capitalize its potentials due to political divisions.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
