Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Towhid Hossain and National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman on Tuesday joined in a meeting with Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, behind closed doors following violence outside Bangladesh missions in India.
The meeting took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday afternoon, December 30, after he was called in on an emergency basis from New Delhi.
Riaz arrived at the ministry ahead of the meeting, while the two advisers joined about half an hour later.
Speaking briefly to reporters after the meeting, Dr Khalilur Rahman said the High Commissioner is called to Dhaka for discussions from time to time, but declined to disclose details of the talks.
Riaz Hamidullah was called in to Dhaka on an emergency basis late Monday night, amid heightened diplomatic sensitivities following recent attacks on Bangladesh missions in India.
Last week, three Hindutva groups vandalised a Bangladesh visa centre in Siliguri, West Bengal, prompting Bangladesh to shut the facility indefinitely. Separately, there was also an attempted attack on the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chattogram.
The incidents triggered reciprocal summons of the two countries’ high commissioners in Dhaka and New Delhi, adding strain to bilateral relations and raising concerns over the safety of diplomatic missions.
Officials said the developments have contributed to renewed tensions between Bangladesh and India, although both sides have reiterated the importance of maintaining diplomatic engagement.