- Bangladesh PM’s adviser Zahed Rahman stopped at Delhi airport.
- Scheduled for IORA meeting, Rahman chose to return home.
- India stated he was permitted entry, but he returned.
Dhaka: Bangladesh has termed as “unsatisfactory” New Delhi’s explanation on the incident involving adviser to Prime Minister at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
“The explanation provided by the Indian side over the incident was not satisfactory,” the state-run BSS news agency reported, quoting a foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday.
He said the incident involving Prime Minister’s Adviser for Information and Strategy Zahed Ur Rahman was “unfortunate and regrettable”.
According to the official, Indian authorities were informed beforehand in due process through diplomatic channels that the premier’s adviser would lead the Bangladesh delegation at a meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
BSS reported that Rahman was scheduled to lead the Bangladesh delegation before being prevented from proceeding through Delhi airport earlier this month.
Dhaka’s reaction came a day after the External Affairs Ministry said Rahman was permitted entry into India after reconfirming the purpose of his visit, but he chose to return to Dhaka.
Bangladesh earlier lodged a protest with India after Rahman was briefly stopped by immigration officials at the airport in New Delhi over a week ago, as his name apparently figured in a security-related blacklist.
“Advisor to the prime minister of Bangladesh arrived in India on June 14 on a private passport holding a SAARC visa, to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
Jaiswal said the Bangladesh PM’s adviser was queried by immigration officials at Delhi airport and was subsequently permitted entry after “re-confirming that the purpose of his visit was to attend the said multilateral meeting”.
“He (Rahman), however, chose to return to Dhaka of his own volition,” Jaiswal added.
The external affairs ministry hosted the 28th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association on June 15-16 in New Delhi.
(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
