Bimstec: Bangladesh CA office shares screengrab of Yunus sitting next to PM Modi, bilateral meeting likely

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s interim Chief Advisor, Muhammad Yunus, sat next to each other during an official dinner hosted by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok on Thursday.

An official from the office of Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor shared pictures showing the two leaders seated together in a post on X.

Screen grab of BIMSTEC Summit official dinner on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/XHTBV1cNqV

— Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) April 3, 2025

The dinner was held for the visiting Heads of State and Government attending the Bimstec summit.

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The interim government of Bangladesh is eager to hold the first-ever bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the Bimstec summit in Bangkok.

Bangladesh will officially take over the Bimstec chairmanship on Friday.

Khalilur Rahman, the Chief Advisor’s High Representative on Rohingya and Priority Issues, said on Wednesday that Bimstec leaders will discuss future plans with Yunus, and there is a possibility of a meeting between Yunus and Prime Minister Modi.

“We requested India to hold this meeting between the two leaders… there is a strong possibility it will happen,” Rahman said during a press briefing in Dhaka ahead of the summit.

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PM Modi’s letter to Yunus on Bangladesh’s National Day

Last week, Prime Minister Modi wrote to Yunus on Bangladesh’s National Day, calling the Liberation War a “shared history” and emphasising the importance of mutual sensitivity.

“We remain committed to advancing this partnership, guided by our shared aspirations for peace, stability, and prosperity, and based on mutual respect for each other’s concerns,” Modi wrote.

Ouster of Hasina and violence against minorities in Bangladesh

New Delhi, however, has expressed concern over the worsening law and order situation and violence against minorities in Bangladesh under the interim government. The Yunus-led administration has faced criticism for releasing extremists and Islamists following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024.

“We support a stable, peaceful, inclusive, and progressive Bangladesh where issues are resolved democratically through inclusive elections. We remain concerned about the deteriorating situation, especially due to the release of violent extremists convicted of serious crimes,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said repeatedly.