President Pranab Mukherjee landed in the Bangladesh capital in the middle of an escalating violence, and had immediate political fallout as opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia called off her meeting with the visiting Indian dignitary at the very last moment.
“We had fixed a time for Begum Khaleda Zia to call on our President well in advance and this had been in our programme for quite some time. The President was in fact looking forward to meeting Begum Khaleda Zia, the programme was accepted,” Indian foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said.
“The reason given in an email to the high commission in India was that there is a strike between March 3 and 5 and experience shows that such strikes often turn violent, thereby causing security and safety concerns for the movement of people. And it is precisely because of these concerns that the proposed time-table for the meeting with the President will not be suitable.”
Bangladeshi foreign minister Dipu Moni described Zia’s decision as “discourteous”.
Incidentally, Zia had met the President during her visit to Delhi last year. The move comes at a time when the Shahbagh protests have entered the 27th day. Zia’s change of plans is significant as the BNP supports the Jamaat-e-Islami that has called for the nationwide general strike in protest against the war crimes trials. The trials, supported by the Sheikh Hasina government, have led to top Jamaat leaders being sentenced to death. The Jamaat is an ally of former PM Zia’s party and was a partner in her government from 2001 to 2006.
Meanwhile, in the delegation-level meeting between visiting Indian dignitaries and Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, both sides emphasized at evolving a solution on the Teesta waters issue through consensus and keeping in mind the interest of all stakeholders.
The Indian President also visited the national memorial in Savar, commemorating those who laid down their lives to liberate Bangladesh. The President wrote in the visitors book, “The National Martyrs Memorial symbolizes Bangladesh’s struggle for justice, emancipation and independence. It reminds us of the valiant sacrifices made by innumerable men, women and children who fought for their homeland — Sonar Bangla. I pay my deep respect and homage to all those martyrs.”
