Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman, the Prime Minister’s Policy and Strategic Advisor, has opened up about returning to Bangladesh without entering the country during his visit to India.
He said that he decided to return to the country as an immediate protest against the incident that took place at the Delhi airport.
However, he also claimed that the news that he was detained at the airport is not correct.
At a press conference held on Tuesday (June 16), Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman said, “I considered the matter not as an individual, but as an advisor to the Prime Minister. I decided to return because it was necessary to give a message from the state or the government.”
He further said, “My intention is not to create any counter-negative situation. However, one thing needs to be clear that this is not Sheikh Hasina’s government; this is a government mandated by the people through fair elections. We have a clear policy regarding relations and engagement with any country, including India.”
Regarding Bangladesh’s relations with India, he said, “Bangladesh wants a rational and mutually respectful relationship with India. However, there is no question of building any relationship by sacrificing the country’s self-respect.” At the same time, he expressed hope that this incident will not have any negative impact on the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
What happened at Delhi airport?
Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman left Dhaka on Sunday to attend a meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) organized by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. After arriving at the Delhi airport, Indian immigration authorities asked him to wait for some time.
He alleged that after being kept waiting for nearly two and a half hours without any clear explanation, he decided to return to Bangladesh without entering Delhi as the situation was not resolved satisfactorily. The incident later sparked discussions in the diplomatic arena.
Diplomatic response
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry summoned India’s acting High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Bara, on Monday, the day after the incident. In the meeting, Bangladesh expressed strong dissatisfaction with the incident at the Delhi airport, describing it as “unwanted”.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said that discussions between the two countries regarding the incident are continuing.
According to analysts, although such incidents are sensitive in the current context of Bangladesh-India relations, both countries are interested in resolving the issue by maintaining diplomatic contacts.