Diplomatic Correspondent

Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Interim Government Md Touhid Hossain on Monday reiterated that the so-called “golden chapter” in Dhaka-Delhi relations remained missing at the people-to-people level, though it was prevalent between the two governments.

“We want to see good relations at people-to-people level. People should think that there is a truly good relationship (between Bangladesh and India). It is better to recognize that it was absent in the relations,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Affairs Adviser claimed that the Indian media created some hype but the international media outlets which publish substantive and neutral news did not fall for that line.

Hossain said there was some chaos amid the revolution which was very normal but those have been addressed. “We have come out from that state.”

He said there was some anger among the people but those issues could be addressed through bilateral “corrective measures.”

The Adviser said they thought that the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) would emerge as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) but that did not happen.

He said BIMSTEC would not be able to become an effective platform in the truest sense until peace is restored in Myanmar.

The Adviser said they did not want any alternative to SAARC, but that SAARC has been the “victim of India-Pakistan rivalry”.

He said Bangladesh wants to maintain friendship with all including India and Pakistan.

Earlier, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus said he is committed to revitalising SAARC as a top regional forum to boost ties among the South Asian nations.

During a recent telephone conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prof Yunus highlighted the necessity of holding regular SAARC summits and stressed holding even a brief meeting among the heads of state and governments of the SAARC states at the earliest convenience.