Indo-Bangla Ties

Ministry of External Affairs officials will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on the situation in Bangladesh on December 11, panel's chairperson Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday, expressing concern over the "troubling" developments in the neighbouring country. Tharoor's remarks come days after India noted with "deep concern" the arrest and denial of bail to Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, and urged authorities in the neighbouring country to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority groups. Asked whether the panel has sought a briefing from the MEA on the Bangladesh situation, Tharoor said, "Yes, we have, we will be having a briefing on Bangladesh in a couple of weeks time on December 11. Next week, there are pending issues on which the foreign secretary will brief us on." Speaking on the Bangladesh situation, Tharoor said, "It seems very grave and troubling. All Indians will be concerned because it is a next door neighbou

Three open-air gymnasiums and a number of tin sheet-covered bathing sheds for women have been created by a BSF battalion deployed in this frontier area of West Bengal to guard the India-Bangaldesh international boundary. The facilities were created following the Union home ministry's directive to the border forces to engage with the local population, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying these remote locations on the front are not the last but the first villages of the country, and organisations like the Border Security Force (BSF) should take all measures for the betterment of the lives of the citizens residing in these security-sensitive areas, a senior officer told PTI. The 32nd battalion of the BSF has created the open-air gyms near its border outposts of Gede, Kadipur and Tungi in West Bengal's Nadia district. Equipment like parallel bars, waist stretchers, chest press, fun rider, lateral pull down, sit-up trainer, two-sided rotator and "tai chi spinner" have been installed in ..

A top BNP leader here said Bangladeshis are "not angry but hurt" over deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's stay in India, even as he urged politicians and security strategists in New Delhi to "rethink" their policy given the ground reality here. In an exclusive interview with PTI at his residence in Dhaka, Abdul Moyeen Khan, a former Cabinet minister of Bangladesh, also said his country shares a border with India on three sides and it is a big neighbour, so there is "no reason why India should not be our best friend". After unprecedented anti-government protests which reached a crescendo on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country, even as protesters had termed the fall of the government and her departure a "day of victory". She landed in India on August 5 and is currently staying there, even as her over two-week-long presence in India has given rise to speculation here. Khan said the current situation is of "consolidation" and coming back to normalcy. Th

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held extensive talks with his visiting Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina to further shore up cooperation in diverse areas including trade and connectivity. The Bangladesh prime minister began her two-day visit to India on Friday. It is the first incoming bilateral state visit by a foreign leader after the formation of the new government in India following the Lok Sabha elections. "PM @narendramodi extended a warm welcome to PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh at Hyderabad House ahead of their bilateral discussions," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X. "The two leaders have met each other ten times since 2019, making unprecedented transformations in the relationship," he added. In the morning, Hasina visited Rajghat and paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. Ahead of the talks, the visiting leader was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Officials said the focus of the Modi-Ha

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Wednesday called on Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during which he reaffirmed India's support for wider and deeper development and economic partnership with her country. Kwatra arrived here on Tuesday evening from Kathmandu, Nepal, on a two-day visit. "Foreign Secretary @AmbVMKwatra paid a courtesy call on Hon'ble Prime Minister H.E Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. FS conveyed warm wishes of PM @narendramodi to PM H.E Sheikh Hasina and reaffirmed India's support for wider and deeper development & economic partnership with Bangladesh," the Indian High Commission tweeted. Earlier in the day, Kwatra held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Masud Bin Momen. "Foreign Secretary @AmbVMKwatra held Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) with @FSMasud of Bangladesh. Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral partnership including political, security, trade, investment, defence, connectivity, water, power and sub-regional cooperation," the Indian ..

The ambitious 130-km long Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL), constructed at a cost of Rs 377.08 crore, is likely to be commissioned by next month, official sources said on Sunday. The international oil pipeline, IBFPL, will carry fuel from Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Ltd's (NRL) marketing terminal at Siliguri in West Bengal to the Parbatipur depot of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC). The mechanical works of the bilateral project, being funded by India, was completed on December 12 last year, a senior official of NRL told PTI on condition of anonymity. "We have set the commissioning target completion in February 2023," he added. The ground breaking ceremony for the 130-km IBFPL was held in September 2018 in the presence of Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh through video conferencing. "The project is in a true sense an engineering marvel. We faced lots of hurdles but with mutual cooperation and technological understanding between the two countries, this ...

President Ram Nath Kovind has presented a replica of the 1971-era MIG 21 aircraft to his counterpart Abdul Hamid

The work on the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, is progressing well and could be inaugurated next year, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said

A new passenger train connecting Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri on the Indian side was inaugurated jointly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday and discussed the progress achieved in shared areas

The talks "appreciated the cooperation between the two countries and the action taken to address the menace of terrorism and extremism in an effective manner."

The 'Moitree Express' which runs between Dhaka and Kolkata will be the other train to be flagged off