New Delhi: Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Policy & Strategy, Zahed Ur Rahman, returned to Dhaka without entering India after he was briefly stopped by immigration authorities at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The incident, reported by Bangladesh newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, took place on Sunday evening after Zahed arrived in New Delhi to attend a meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), being hosted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 15 and 16.
The media report, citing diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi, said that Zahed was held for around two-and-a-half hours by Indian immigration authorities. Although Zahed was later cleared to enter the country following intervention from higher authorities, he chose not to proceed with his India visit and returned to Dhaka via Colombo.
Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi had formally informed the MEA through a diplomatic note on Friday regarding Zahed’s participation in the meeting, according to Prothom Alo. Bangladesh High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah had also reportedly communicated with Indian officials ahead of the visit.
Despite the advance communication, Zahed was stopped during immigration checks and kept waiting for over two hours “without a clear explanation being conveyed immediately,” the media reports claimed.
The Daily Star cited an Indian news channel as saying that Zahed’s name had reportedly appeared on a ‘security-related watchlist’ during verification procedures. The Bangladeshi official was travelling on a regular green passport with a SAARC sticker, rather than a diplomatic passport.
Indian authorities have not commented on the development so far.
