Bangladesh-India Ties Could Be Improved, Says Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman

Bangladesh-India Ties Could Be Improved, Says Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman

Dhaka, July 7 [VoM News]: Information and Broadcasting Adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Zahed Ur Rahman said the new government shall strive to restore relations with India on the basis of mutual respect and common purpose. He added that he would visit India again if he received a “proper invitation”.

His comments were made just weeks after his homecoming to Bangladesh from India, where he decided not to enter the country after being interrogated by immigration officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi during an official trip.

Zahed Ur Rahman told reporters I will very certainly go. Now I am very clearly stating that if I get a good invitation I will very definitely go because I want to conduct with India logially and rationally.

According to initial media reports, Rahman was on his way to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association in India, when he was detained for questioning at a routine security check. He was using a regular passport and a SAARC visa instead of a diplomatic one, according to Bangladeshi reports.

In the wake of the episode, Bangladesh summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe to convey its “deep disappointment” at how the senior officer was treated.

Following the incident, Zahed Ur Rahman mentioned, ‘Yet the Tarique Rahman government would want to enhance relations with New Delhi.’.

“We want to be seen as a partner to India, merely because it is vital to us and we want to get to know it better with the same degree of respect. There are many areas, other than trade and business, where we can enhance ties,” he said.

He also admitted a fall out of relations during interim Govt of Muhammad Yunus and said the new Govt will like to get over differences.

Under interim government trade relations between the two countries suffered. But we want to set that issue aside and get closer to India. We require business, trade and exchanges of various formats, he said.

The comments follow Bangladesh’s efforts to enhance economic relations with India amid the recent disagreements over the projects for the Teesta River and Mongla Port redevelopment, according to experts who believe that the new Dhaka stance is aimed at maintaining a partnership based on stability.