Bangladesh not intimidated by barbed wire along border: Adviser Humayun

Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir today (11 May) said Bangladesh is not intimidated by barbed wire and will not remain silent if killings along the border continue.

"See, if you want to have relations with people, the people of Bangladesh are not afraid of barbed wire. Do you understand? The government of Bangladesh is also not afraid of barbed wire; where we need to talk, we will talk," he said.

Responding to a question from reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Humayun said the Indian government needs to demonstrate a more "humane approach" in resolving border security issues if it wants to strengthen people-to-people relations.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari today announced that the state government has begun the process of transferring land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing the India-Bangladesh border.

The newly elected chief minister said that the land would be handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs within 45 days to address the issue of illegal infiltration.

Adviser Humayun said election rhetoric and actual governance are two different issues and Bangladesh wants to see whether West Bengal Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari's government is following the election rhetoric in governance.

"The actual running of the government is a different matter. Let's wait and give it some time to see whether the BJP government in West Bengal intends to carry the same rhetoric into governance," he said, adding that their relationship is primarily with the central government. "We do not want to become involved in their internal politics."

He said Bangladesh would not remain silent if people continued to be killed along the border.

"The border we saw during Sheikh Hasina's time will never be the same again. If someone wants to do something on the border in that way, this Bangladesh will not be the same Bangladesh that will sit and watch. Bangladesh also has its own plans on what to do. I hope things will not go that way," Humayun said.

The adviser said Bangladesh seeks regional stability and peace, wants dialogue with neighboring and regional countries, and expects all sides to engage sincerely despite challenges.

Emphasising the commitment between the leadership of the two countries to advance bilateral relations, he said, "If we want to move bilateral relations forward, then the mindset and commitment of both countries' leadership must remain firm, and there is indeed a commitment to continue despite the challenges.

"Of course there will be challenges, and in some cases serious challenges," he added.

However, he said, as long as the door to dialogue remains open, initiatives can be taken to resolve them. "Some issues may be resolved quickly, while others will require more time."

The adviser said they do not want to get into their (West Bengal) internal politics and stressed that they want to live in a cordial space.

"We must maintain regional peace and stability," he said.