The National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, now under way in Assam, is internal to India, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday in Dhaka.
Addressing a press conference in Dhaka after meeting his counterpart A.K. Abdul Momen, Mr. Jaishankar said, “It’s an internal matter.” He was responding to a question on the future of more than four million people likely to be affected by the process.
His statement is significant as it indicates India’s official position just days before the final NRC list is to be published on August 31. In July, Mr. Momen had expressed concern about the possible fallout of the final list on Bangladesh. More recently, on August 7, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan in Delhi. The event raised eyebrows as no joint statement was issued after the meeting, indicating some differences on key issues.
Assures Dhaka all help for development
Mr. Jaishankar, who is on his first visit to Bangladesh after taking charge in May, announced that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to visit India in autumn.
Stating that Delhi will extend “all possible support” to the development agenda of Bangladesh, Mr. Jaishankar added that the India-Bangladesh relationship is a “model” of cooperation within the Neighbourhood First policy of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the press with Mr Jaishankar, his Bangladeshi counterpart, A.K. Abdul Momen said the bilateral talks had satisfied the Bangladesh team. Both sides had also discussed the repatriation of the Rohingya from refugee camps in Chittagong to Myanmar.
“We agreed that the safe, speedy and sustainable return of displaced persons is in the national interest of all the three countries — Bangladesh, Myanmar and India. And we reaffirm our readiness to provide more assistance to the displaced in Bangladesh and to improve socio-economic conditions in Rakhine State,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
