Indian foreign secretary Harsh Shringla flew to Dhaka on Tuesday for a previously unannounced visit, during which he is expected to convey a special message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, people familiar with the developments said.
It is also a senior Indian official’s the first visit to Bangladesh since travel restrictions were imposed due to the pandemic.
Shringla, who earlier served as the Indian envoy in Dhaka, is carrying a message from Modi for Hasina, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. He is also expected to meet foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and foreign secretary Masud bin Momen.
Ties between the two countries have been under some strain since last year, when Bangladeshi leaders were irked by comments from BJP leaders about deporting illegal migrants from Assam. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens also affected ties, and Hasina had questioned the need for CAA during an interview earlier this year.
