BREAKING: PM Modi-Muhammad Yunus Meet in Thailand Amid Tensions Over Attack on Minorities in Bangladesh

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to Bangladesh's interim government, on Friday, to discuss bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, where Prime Minister Modi is currently attending. 

This marks the first meeting between the two leaders since the ousting of Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, who is now reportedly living in exile in Delhi.

Former Prime Minister Hasina fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that ended her Awami League's 16-year rule. The political upheaval marked the beginning of strained relations between India and Bangladesh, particularly due to disagreements over violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and India's decision to grant asylum to Hasina.

Tensions worsened further after Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's interim government chief advisor, made remarks about India's northeastern states during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference in China. Yunus also claimed that Bangladesh had formally requested Hasina's extradition to face legal charges, but India had not responded to the request.

PM Modi for BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional group of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, is a key platform for collaboration. Its members—India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—represent a combined population of 1.73 billion people and a total GDP of US$5.2 trillion. Thailand currently chairs the organization, and the ongoing summit in Bangkok is the first in-person meeting since the 2018 BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Bangkok on Thursday to participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. During this summit, India raised concerns regarding Bangladesh's interim government, including the rise in attacks on minorities, the worsening law and order situation, and the release of violent extremists. In response, Bangladesh has raised the issue of Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India and made a formal extradition request.

India-Bangladesh Ties

Earlier in September, Bangladesh had requested a bilateral meeting between Modi and Yunus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, but this meeting did not take place.

Meanwhile, in a letter to Yunus last month, Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with Bangladesh, emphasizing peace, stability, and mutual respect.

Another point of contention between the two nations is Bangladesh's increasing military cooperation with Pakistan 's armed forces, including the involvement of senior Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials in a recent visit to Bangladesh.