Bangladesh had informed the Indian Ministry of External Affairs at least two days in advance regarding the visit of Prime Minister’s Information Advisor Zaheed Ur Rehman to Delhi. Despite this, he was made to wait for about two and a half hours at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday.
Although he was eventually granted entry after high-level intervention, the advisor rejected the clearance and returned to Dhaka.
Following this incident, where the Prime Minister’s Advisor faced such circumstances during a pre-scheduled visit, the Acting High Commissioner of India was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday, Monday. During the meeting, Dhaka expressed strong dissatisfaction with the incident at Delhi airport, terming it extremely unpleasant.
According to diplomatic sources, recent events have created fresh uneasiness in Dhaka-Delhi relations, dashing hopes of positive momentum built up after the February elections.
The wait for the Prime Minister’s advisor at Delhi airport, following the BSF’s ‘push-in’ attempt at the border, is likely to take a toll on bilateral ties.