Bangladesh's interim government has ordered the recall of five envoys, including the high commissioner to India, Mustafizur Rahman. This decision has raised concerns within the country's foreign service because many of the recalled diplomats were career professionals, not political appointees.
The other envoys being recalled are Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN in New York and the ambassadors to Australia, Belgium, and Portugal. Some of these diplomats were set to retire soon. The decision comes at a challenging time for India-Bangladesh relations, which have soured following the collapse of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in August. After her resignation, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took over as the chief adviser of the caretaker administration.
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Efforts to arrange a meeting between Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent UN General Assembly were unsuccessful. Tensions increased after Yunus criticized India and suggested the possibility of extraditing Hasina. Rahman, who became high commissioner in July 2022, has been instrumental in improving development cooperation and bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh.
In a separate development, India’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, met with Bangladesh's de facto foreign minister, Touhid Hossain, in Dhaka. They discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and activate regular communication mechanisms.
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