New Delhi: In a damage control exercise triggered by the Prime Minister’s off-the-record remark to select editors about Bangladesh, the Indian government on Saturday underlined its commitment to developing ties with Dhaka and said it will be in focus when the External Affairs Minister visits Dhaka next week.
“The Prime Minister and his government and the people of India have the greatest affection for the people of Bangladesh and hold our relations with Bangladesh to be of the highest importance,” MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said here.
He was reacting to negative reports in the Bangladesh media which were based on off-the-record remarks attributed to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during his interaction with a group of editors in New Delhi.
“India recognises the stability of Bangladesh and is committed to the non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states,” he stressed, adding that in recent years ties between India and Bangladesh have seen “exceptional heights.”
“We are fully committed to our bilateral relationship with the people and the government of Bangladesh,” the spokesperson added.
In his interaction with a group of editors on June 29 here, Dr Singh spoke candidly about his assessment of the situation in Bangladesh and the state of bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister expressed thanks to Bangladesh for helping combat anti-India insurgents, but in the same breath warned against the linkage between Jamiat-e-Islami, a right-wing Islamist party, and Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
“But we must reckon that at least 25 per cent of the population of Bangladesh swear by the Jamiat-e-Islami and they are very anti-Indian,” Dr Singh said in “off-the-record” comments that were posted on the PMO website and later deleted. (IANS)