India was aware of an anti-Hasina wave building up in Bangladesh ahead of the overthrow of her government on August 5, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Consultative Committee on External Affairs.

But India was not in a position to do much as it lacked the necessary leverage over Hasina, who could only be "advised", he told members of parliament on Saturday, reports The Hindu.

Jaishankar cited the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk's recent remarks about the UN warning the Bangladesh army against a confrontation with unarmed protesters during the uprising, as such an action would prompt the UN to ban the army from peacekeeping operations, the report said.

The Consultative Committee on External Affairs members met Jaishankar for a discussion on India's foreign policy where Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan issues dominated.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, who has hosted a series of international dignitaries, is scheduled to visit China, where the two countries are expected to sign multiple agreements, including ones on aviation links that will increase connectivity between Chittagong and Dhaka and Chinese destinations.

Jaishankar highlighted the role of "external actors" in Bangladesh and mentioned that China was "not an adversary but a competitor".

He also discussed the future of Saarc, which has not met since November 2014, The Hindu report said.

Islamabad was supposed to host the 19th Saarc summit in November 2016, but the event was called off after India withdrew its participation following the terror attack on its military installation in Uri on September 18, 2016.

Since then, India has supported the cooperation at the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), raising questions about the scope of Saarc's revival.

However, Jaishankar hinted that "Saarc is not off the table" and that the regional grouping has been "paused".

The MPs also sought an explanation about India's move to counter China's growing influence in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, added the report.