S Jaishankar engages in quick talks on Bangladesh situation with US officials

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he had brief discussion on the current situation in Bangladesh with newly-appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

Details of the Discussion

"Yes, we had a brief discussion on Bangladesh. I don't think it's appropriate that I get into more details," Jaishankar told a group of Indian reporters at a news conference here. The minister was responding to a query on whether treatment of minorities in Bangladesh came up during his meetings with Rubio and Waltz. However, there was no discussion on the attacks on Indian consulates in the US or the threat to Indian diplomats here, Jaishankar said. "I didn't raise those issues on this occasion," he said.

Seriousness of Consulate Attack

"But I do want to say that the attack on our consulate in San Francisco is a very, very serious matter. It is something for which we expect accountability, and we would like to see that people who did it are held responsible," Jaishankar said.

Asked about two cases -- one against a former Indian official and another against an Indian business tycoon -- which have come up in US courts in the last two years, Jaishankar said, "No, the subject didn't come up (during the meetings)."

(Except for the headline, nothing has been changed by All India News Network in the PTI copy.)