Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain is expected to meet with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Muscat, Oman on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference scheduled for February 16-17. If the meeting occurs, it would be their second since August 5, 2024, when the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh was ousted. The first meeting occurred in New York during the UN General Assembly session in September.

The meeting aims to address strains in the relationship between the two nations. Since the fall of the Hasina government, tensions have risen, with India expressing concerns over the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, and Bangladesh protesting against Hasina's statements and perceived misinformation in Indian media.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September. This was the first bilateral meeting between India and Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina's ouster as Prime Minister.

During the meeting, Jaishankar and Hossain discussed bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest. Jaishankar also conveyed the need to quickly restore law and order, and expressed concern over the threat to minorities in Bangladesh.

According to an official, the Bangladesh interim government is uncomfortable with Sheikh Hasina's social media activity while in India, and Touhid Hossain may convey this concern to Jaishankar. The Bangladesh Foreign Adviser might also convey Bangladesh's political situation and the interim government's desire to hold free, fair, and credible elections by December.

ANI