Amid the country’s political turmoil over its general election, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh arrives here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque will receive his Indian counterpart Sujatha Singh at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10.30am, said an official at the Foreign Ministry. The Indian Foreign Secretary will have talks with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali at his Foreign Ministry office at 11.30am. The Indian official will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at 12.30 pm, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. She will also meet opposition leader Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence at 4:45pm on the same day. The official talks between the Bangladesh and Indian foreign secretaries will be held at Hotel Sonargaon at 7.30 pm, which will be followed by dinner. During her stay here, Sujatha Singh will also meet Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad, said a media release of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka on Tuesday. This will be Sujatha Singh’s first visit to Bangladesh after taking over as Foreign Secretary on August 1, 2013. Singh joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976. Prior to taking over as Foreign Secretary, she served as Indian Ambassador to Germany and High Commissioner to Australia. The Indian Foreign Secretary’s visit is considered crucial as Bangladesh goes to its national election on January 5 amid the opposition’s threat to boycott it. Bilateral pending issues, including Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and Teesta Water sharing deal, are likely to be discussed during her visit.
As the country is passing through a critical juncture over the 10th parliamentary polls, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh is going to meet BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting will be held at Khaleda’s Gulshan residence at 4:45pm, the BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told UNB. Sujatha who arrives here on Wednesday on a two-day official visit will also meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad, Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque. BNP insiders said issues like the current political crisis, national election, and different bilateral issues to come up for discussion at the meeting. They said BNP is considering Sujatha’s meeting very crucial one as it is going to be held just two days before the arrival of UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco in Dhaka. It is believed that Sujata is coming here to help the feuding ruling and opposition camps reach a compromise for holding an inclusive election. – UNB
