MoFA summons Indian envoy; expresses displeasure

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner and Charge d' Affaires to Bangladesh Pawan Badhe and conveyed Dhaka’s displeasure to New Delhi regarding the incident involving PM’s Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman at Delhi airport.

A diplomatic source confirmed the development to UNB in the afternoon without elaborating further.

High Commissioner-designate Dinesh Trivedi, who arrived here recently, is yet to submit his credentials.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman described the incident as “unexpected and unfortunate” and said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking appropriate steps regarding the matter.

"It is an unexpected incident, unfortunate too," he said while briefly talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Minister indicated that a statement from the Ministry will be issued later today (Monday).

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Policy and Strategy Affairs Dr Zahed Ur Rahman returned home on Monday after he was stopped at Delhi airport by Indian immigration authorities on Sunday evening after his name was reportedly flagged during a security check.

Sources close to Dr Zahed told UNB that he was subjected to "undue harassment" at Delhi airport, but there has been no comment so far from Dhaka or New Delhi regarding the matter.

The Adviser was not carrying a diplomatic passport.

He was travelling on a regular Bangladeshi (green) passport with a SAARC visa.

The Adviser was scheduled to attend the 28th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). India is hosting the meeting (June 15-16) in New Delhi.

The meeting brought together senior government officials from IORA Member States to review progress, discuss regional priorities, and advance cooperation across the Indian Ocean region under the theme of Innovation, Openness, Resilience & Adaptability.

The Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) is the second-highest decision-making body of IORA and serves as the organisation’s principal coordinating mechanism.

Comprising senior government representatives from Member States, the CSO is responsible for reviewing and discussing key agenda items, making recommendations, and submitting policy matters to the Council of Ministers (COM) for final approval.