Last Updated on March 2, 2026 12:28 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
India has assured Bangladesh that it will gradually resume full-scale visa operations, which have remained restricted for nearly one and a half years due to security concerns, Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday. The assurance came during a courtesy meeting between Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, and the minister at the home ministry in Dhaka.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Salahuddin said discussions covered visa services, border management, security cooperation and broader bilateral engagement. However, he clarified that there was no separate or specific discussion on reopening tourist visas.
“India informed us that its consulates and visa offices had faced attacks over the past one and a half years, which prevented them from functioning at full capacity,” the minister said, adding that New Delhi had conveyed its intent to gradually normalise services. The high commissioner’s visit was part of routine diplomatic courtesy following the formation of Bangladesh’s new government, Salahuddin noted.
Highlighting the depth of ties between the two neighbours, the minister said Bangladesh and India maintain extensive engagements across trade, commerce, travel and security. “We want to maintain our relations on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and shared benefit,” he said. “In all diplomatic and commercial engagements, we expect cordial relations to continue.”
Border security featured prominently in the talks, with Dhaka raising concerns over incidents of cross-border killings. Salahuddin said Bangladesh wants regular and continuous meetings between its border force and India’s security agencies to prevent such occurrences.
Bangladesh and India share a 4,156-km frontier, the fifth-longest land border in the world, where sporadic cross-border shootings have periodically strained bilateral ties.
The minister stressed that sustained dialogue would be key to strengthening relations and preventing misunderstandings in the future, signalling Dhaka’s intent to keep communication channels open with New Delhi as both sides work to stabilise and deepen cooperation.