New Delhi invites Jatiya Party in sign of broadening engagement with political parties in Dhaka: The Hindu

India has invited a Jatiya Party delegation to New Delhi, just days after hosting a high-level delegation from the ruling Awami League, in a sign of broadening engagement with the political parties of Bangladesh, reports The Hindu.

A  Jatiya Party delegation, led by the party's Chairperson Ghulam Muhammed Quader, has already reached New Delhi yesterday (20 August).

GM Quader's wife Sherifa Quader, also a lawmaker from reserved seats for women, and JP chairman's international affairs adviser Mashroor Mawla is part of the three-member team that went to Delhi by a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Md Abu Toiub, The Daily Star reported quoting the personal secretary of the JP chief.

Meanwhile, The Hindu report said the arrival of the Jatiya Party is significant as India plans to host Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the G-20 summit where Bangladesh has been invited as a "guest country".

In a telephone interview with The Hindu, GM Quader said, "It is very important for the government to come forward seeking a dialogue with all political parties. We want all sides to sit down and discuss a way forward to ensure a free and fair election."

Quader, however, did not approve of the demand from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for a caretaker government and said, "They have been insisting for a caretaker government but have not clarified what exactly the caretaker formation should look like."

The Hindu report described Bangladesh's current political situation as centred on the BNP and its demand for holding the election under a caretaker government. 

The government of PM Hasina has been insisting that the upcoming election be held on time and without a caretaker formation as the option was closed in 2011 through a parliamentary act, it added.

According to The Hindu, the Jatiya Party chairperson "appeared to support a third alternative — a compromise formula — that can address the hard positions". 

"We have a formula in mind and we will place it on the table when an all party dialogue takes place," he told the Indian news outlet.

The visit adds to the ongoing exchanges involving multiple comments from the US and Indian interlocutors over the past fortnight.

Last week, two US Congressmen Rich McCormick and Ed Case visited Bangladesh and met with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen as well as representatives of the BNP and Jatiya Party.

During the visit, Smith pointed out that Hasina's anti-terror outfit, RAB has not done enough to crack down on the religious fundamentalists. These remarks from the US, were met with reiteration of the mainstream Indian position by Joint Secretary at Bangladesh and Myanmar Division of the Ministry of External Affairs Smita Pant. 

On Saturday, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pranay Verma paid his tribute to Sheikh Mujib and said India is a "steadfast partner" of Bangladesh.

The ongoing exchanges are clearly broadening with the arrival of Jatiya Party here with some Dhaka sources indicating that similar "windows" are also open at other relevant quarters.

The Hindu report notes that apart from these, the government-to-government discussion will deepen as both PM Modi and PM Hasina will fly to Johannesburg for the BRICS summit where Bangladesh is among several economies that are seeking BRICS membership.