BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey Says Political Changes Won’t Affect BIMSTEC
New Delhi, India – August 6: Indra Mani Pandey, the Secretary General of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), stated that political developments in any member country do not impact the functioning of BIMSTEC. He emphasized that the organization focuses on technical and economic cooperation, staying away from political issues.
His comments come amid political turmoil in Bangladesh, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country due to widespread protests and violence. Despite these events, Pandey assured that BIMSTEC’s activities remain unaffected.
BIMSTEC includes seven member countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Its headquarters is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is currently experiencing political violence.
Pandey highlighted that all member countries have been actively participating in BIMSTEC meetings. Recently, a foreign ministers’ retreat was held in Delhi, hosted by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, with full participation from all member states. Similarly, a meeting of national security chiefs in Myanmar saw attendance from all member states.
The Secretary General is in Delhi for the BIMSTEC Business Summit. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, protests led by students against a government job quota system have escalated into a broader uprising against Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party. Violent clashes in Dhaka resulted in at least 95 deaths, including 14 police officers, with hundreds more injured.
Doubts Revealed
BIMSTEC -: BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. It is a group of countries around the Bay of Bengal that work together on different projects to help each other.
Secretary General -: A Secretary General is like the head or leader of an organization. In this case, Indra Mani Pandey is the leader of BIMSTEC.
Political Changes -: Political changes mean when the government or leaders of a country change. This can happen due to elections, protests, or other reasons.
Technical and Economic Cooperation -: Technical and economic cooperation means countries working together to share knowledge, technology, and help each other grow their economies.
Political Turmoil -: Political turmoil means a lot of confusion and trouble in a country’s government, often with protests and leaders resigning.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina -: Sheikh Hasina is a political leader who was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She resigned due to protests in her country.
Resigned and Fled -: Resigned means she quit her job as Prime Minister. Fled means she left the country quickly to avoid danger.
Unrest -: Unrest means a situation where there is a lot of trouble, protests, and people are unhappy with the government.
Delhi -: Delhi is the capital city of India, where important meetings and events often take place.
Myanmar -: Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, which is also a member of BIMSTEC.