Relations between India and Bangladesh have started becoming sour again. The reason is the interrogation of a Bangladeshi diplomat at Delhi airport. Bangladesh described Delhi’s response as “not satisfactory” in the matter of trouble faced by Prime Minister Tariq Rahman’s advisor at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Angered by the questioning, the advisors returned to their country.
Bangladesh’s government news agency BSS quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying, “The response given by the Indian side on this incident was not satisfactory.” He further said that the incident that happened with Prime Minister’s Advisor on Information and Strategy Zahed ur Rehman was very “unfortunate and regrettable”.
Bangladesh claims – had already told
According to the official, Indian officials were already informed through diplomatic channels that Prime Minister Rahman’s advisor would lead the Bangladeshi delegation at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) meeting.
BSS said Rahman was to lead the Bangladeshi delegation at the meeting before he was stopped at the Delhi airport earlier this month. The reaction from Dhaka came a day after the Foreign Ministry’s statement that Javed ur Rehman was allowed to enter India after confirming the purpose of his visit for the second time, but he decided to return to Dhaka.
Rahman came with SAARC visa, personal passport
Earlier, more than a week ago, Bangladesh had lodged a protest with India after Rahman was briefly stopped by enforcement officials at the New Delhi airport because his name was included in the security blacklist.
“The advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had come to India on June 14 with a SAARC visa and private passport to attend the 28th meeting of the Senior Officials Committee of the Indian Ocean Rim Association,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his weekly media briefing.
Jaiswal said the Bangladesh PM’s advisor was questioned by immigration officials at the Delhi airport and he was allowed entry “after reconfirming that the purpose of his visit was to attend the multilateral meeting”. He further said, “However, he (Rahman) decided to return to Dhaka on his own will.”
Recently, the 28th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the ‘Indian Ocean Rim Association’ was organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on 15-16 June.
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