The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner, Pawan Badhe, to register a strong complaint, after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s advisor returned to Dhaka after being stopped at Delhi Airport.
The issue centres on Jahed Ur Rahman, an adviser to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, who was stopped and heavily delayed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Jahed Ur Rahman had travelled to India to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
According to reports, he was flagged during routine security checks because his name appeared on a watchlist. He was then questioned for about two and a half hours. Although Indian authorities eventually cleared him, he decided to return to Bangladesh the same day rather than continue with his official engagements.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Khalilur Rahman, described the incident as “unexpected and regrettable.”
Pawan Badhe, who is currently acting as India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka, received the summons because the newly appointed Indian High Commissioner, Dinesh Trivedi, has not yet presented his credentials to Bangladesh’s President.
This diplomatic friction comes at a sensitive time. Just days earlier, Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Humayun Kabir, had stressed the importance of maintaining a practical and constructive relationship with India.
“It’s good to have normal diplomatic relations, a working relationship within your neighbourhood, within the region,” quotes ANI.
“India is our neighbour, they didn’t choose us, we didn’t choose them, but we are neighbours. We have to live together, we have to work together in the region and cooperate.”
The timing is also notable as India’s new High Commissioner, Dinesh Trivedi, only arrived in Dhaka on 12 June via the Benapole border, taking over from the outgoing Pranay Verma. Both countries have recently signalled their desire to strengthen cooperation in several key areas.
