Bangladesh-India relations should be based on equity and fairness: Chief Adviser Yunus

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser emphasizes maintaining good relations with India based on equity and fairness, stressing regional cooperation.

Interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Sunday (September 8, 2024) said that Bangladesh wants to maintain good relations with India while asserting that it should be based on equity and fairness.

Mr. Yunus, 84, made the remarks while responding to a question at a meeting with students who had participated in the student-people revolution that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last month, state-run BSS news agency reported.

"We need to maintain good relations with India. But it should be based on equity and fairness," the chief adviser's special assistant Mahfuj Alam quoted him as saying.

Mr. Mahfuj, who briefed the media after the meeting, added that the chief adviser said Bangladesh always gives importance to mutual respect and equity in maintaining relations with neighbours.

He stressed reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to enhance regional cooperation.

The interim government headed by Mr. Yunus was appointed days after Ms. Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 following unprecedented anti-government student-led protests over a controversial quota system in government jobs.

Last week, Mr. Yunus expressed a desire for good ties with India but insisted that New Delhi must abandon the narrative that only Hasina’s leadership ensures the country’s stability.