Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has denied any involvement or support by New Delhi in election engineering for any political party in Bangladesh. Speaking with visiting Bangladeshi journalists at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on Monday, he said no individual issue would affect Dhaka-Delhi relations and emphasized that ties should be based on mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s interests.
Misri stated that India has worked with whichever government was in power in Bangladesh and clarified that past cooperation with the Awami League did not amount to interference. He noted that India is reviving over 40 bilateral institutional frameworks that had become inactive during Bangladesh’s interim government period. Discussions are also underway on water-sharing issues, including the Ganges and Teesta rivers, and on strengthening regional cooperation through BIMSTEC.
He avoided commenting on Bangladesh’s request to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said India continues to prioritize trade and connectivity. Misri also dismissed media reports about deploying animals along the border and said India is working to restore full visa services for Bangladeshi citizens soon.