Dhaka:
Bangladesh summoned India’s deputy high commissioner in Dhaka to protest over an incident involving Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s adviser, Zahed ur Rahman, at Delhi airport yesterday. Bangladesh PM’s adviser on policy and strategy affairs, Zahed Ur Rahman, was held back at immigration at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for a couple of hours on Sunday evening while trying to enter India to attend a meeting hosted by the external affairs ministry.
Zahed, a known political commentator and critic of Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government, was stopped for questioning by the authorities after his name was reportedly flagged during a routine security check, the state-run BSS news agency reported.
The Bangladeshi leader was travelling to India on a government invitation. He reportedly had a regular Bangladeshi passport with a SAARC visa and was not carrying a diplomatic passport, according to Bangladeshi media reports.
To express its “deep disappointment” over the incident, Dhaka summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe, the BSS news report said.
Separately, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman said that the government was taking appropriate steps regarding the matter. “It is an unexpected incident, unfortunate, too,” he told reporters.
Citing diplomatic sources, the Prothom Alo newspaper reported that Zahed Ur Rahman, who was travelling to India to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, was questioned by immigration authorities and kept waiting for about two and a half hours.
Although Indian authorities later allowed him to proceed with his visit, he decided to return home, BSS said, citing sources.
New Delhi has not commented publicly about the incident.
Relations between the neighbours have been strained since a 2024 uprising toppled the government of Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. Ties improved after Tarique Rahman won a landslide election victory, taking over from the interim administration that had led the country of 170 million people since Hasina was ousted.
But in recent days, relations again became a bit thorny along the international border, with India sending those it accuses of being illegal migrants across the frontier to Bangladesh.
