Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday rejected India’s concerns over attacks on minorities in the country, and claimed that statements made by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) do not reflect the ground reality.
This reply comes after India expressed concern over reports of violence against minorities in Bangladesh.
What did the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh say?
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry statement said, “Our attention has been drawn to the recent comments by the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India regarding the situation of minority communities in Bangladesh. His comments do not reflect the facts. The Government of Bangladesh categorically rejects any false, exaggerated, or purpose-driven stories that misrepresent Bangladesh’s long-standing tradition of communal harmony.”
The ministry further alleged that criminal incidents were being selectively portrayed as targeted oppression against minorities. The statement further said, “With great sadness, we see that isolated incidents of criminal acts are being systematically tried to be portrayed as systematic persecution of Hindus and are being maliciously used to spread anti-Bangladesh sentiments in different parts of India. We see a selective and unfair bias in some quarters, where isolated incidents are exaggerated, misrepresented and is propagated to instigate common Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and other establishments in India.”
Referring to the recent killing reported by India, Bangladesh said the person involved was a criminal and the incident was not related to minority persecution. The statement said, “One of the persons identified by the MEA spokesperson was a listed criminal who unfortunately met his death while he was carrying out extortion along with his Muslim partner, who was later arrested. Portraying this criminal act from the perspective of minority behavior is not factual but misleading. Bangladesh appeals to various quarters in India to desist from spreading misleading stories that undermine good neighborly relations and the spirit of mutual trust.”