Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe after Prime Minister’s Policy and Strategy Affairs Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman returned to Dhaka from New Delhi without attending a regional meeting, following a delay at Delhi airport.
A Bangladesh foreign ministry official said the Indian diplomat was called to discuss the matter. “He was summoned this afternoon to discuss the issue,” the official said.
According to diplomatic sources, Zahed arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), being hosted by India’s ministry of external affairs on June 15-16.
Indian immigration authorities reportedly stopped him during a security check at Indira Gandhi International Airport after his name appeared on a security-related watchlist. Local media reported that he was “briefly stopped” before being cleared for entry.
A source in New Delhi told a TV channel, “After intervention, the immigration authorities allowed his entry, but the adviser decided to return home.”
Diplomatic sources said Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah went to the airport to receive Zahed, who was questioned and kept waiting for around two-and-a-half hours. No specific reason was communicated to him, they said.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman described the incident as “unexpected and regrettable”.
Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, Khalilur said, “The foreign ministry is taking appropriate measures in this regard.” He added that the ministry would clarify its position by the end of the day.
Zahed was travelling on a regular Bangladeshi passport with a SAARC visa, and Bangladesh had informed India’s ministry of external affairs about the visit through a note verbale, according to reports.
As there was no direct flight available to Dhaka on Sunday night, Zahed returned home via Colombo on Monday.