Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina for coming up with a comprehensive plan to crackdown on militancy, and has said that it could be a model for other countries, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Monday. Modi interacted with Hasina during the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of Brics ((Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Goa on Sunday.
Swarup told PTI: "In fact, he [Modi] said that 'your battle against terrorism was yielding very positive results. You have shown us all a new template on how to fight terrorism so successfully’." The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson added both the leaders agreed that "strong public support" is a big weapon to combat militancy. Hasina added that public awareness "against the menace of terrorism" is high in Bangladesh now.
At the meeting, Hasina made a detailed presentation on the various steps taken by her government after the militant attack on a Dhaka cafe in July this year. She briefed Modi on how her administration united all the districts of Bangladesh and ensured that all the imams were also on their side.
Modi also expressed his wish to meet leaders in the South Asian region more often and with minimal protocol. Swarup said, "[Modi] said he wants [leaders of] countries of our region should be able to visit each other at very short notice without protocol considerations coming in the way.”
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