Indian president Pranab Mukherjee and prime minister Narendra Modi reiterated that Indian government would stay with Bangladesh and provide strong support to help combat terrorism and militancy as Bangladesh’s home minister Asaduzzaman Khan called on them in the Indian capital.
Indian president pranab Mukherjee said, ‘We support Dhaka’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism and militancy.’
He said this when Bangladesh’s home minister Asaduzzaman Khan called on the Indian president at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi Wednesday evening.
Immediately after the terrorist attacks in a Gulshan restaurant in Dhaka and the Sholakhia in Kishoregonj, the Indian president strongly condemned the attacks and assured that New Delhi would extend ‘every support possible to enable the Bangladesh government defeat these forces whose goal is to spread hatred, chaos and instability.’
During Wednesday meeting with Khan, Mukherjee reiterated the same stance of India to Dhaka’s fight against terrorism and militancy.
Khan informed the Indian president that the recent terrorist attacks in Bangladesh were planned and carried out by the home grown militants only to disrupt the development activities and destabilise the country.
Bangladesh high commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali, senior secretary of the home ministry Md Mozammel Haque Khan, inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque, Border Guard Bangladesh chief Major General Aziz Ahmed, Coast Guard chief Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury and director general of Department of Narcotics Control Khandakar Rakibur Rahman attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his country will stand by Bangladesh with all firmness the way it stood by the people of the next door neighbour during 1971 Liberation War.
‘India will stand by Bangladesh in its fight against terrorism the way we stood by you during your 1971 Liberation War,’ a Bangladesh home ministry spokesman quoted the Indian premier as saying during the call on.
Modi, he said, also reiterated New Delhi’s all out support for Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ‘timely and firm’ actions in combating the militants.
According to the spokesman Khan told the Indian premier that the perpetrators of the recent militant attacks were home grown elements and no proof of their links to any foreign terrorist outfits were found so far. In response, the spokesman said, Modi expressed identical views.
Khan told the Indian premier that being a land of communal harmony since ancient time Bangladesh under prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership was committed to uphold the heritage by ensuring rights of everyone including religious minorities.
‘We are committed to uphold the heritage . . . we will do everything to protect their religious faiths, culture and human rights,’ the Bangladesh home minister said.
Khan’s meeting with the Indian premier at his official residence came ahead of his official talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh when he would lead a high-level delegation.
The home minister arrived in the Indian capital on July 27 while officials said his interaction with Singh is expected to further strengthen and enhance the excellent cooperation between the two countries on security and border management matters.
The minister is due to return home on July 30.
Source: New Age
