Bilateral relations: Advisor Zahed harassed in Delhi, strains and protest follow
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১৬ জুন ২০২৬, ১২:১০
Bangladesh had informed India’s Ministry of External Affairs at least two days in advance regarding the visit of Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister’s information advisor, to Delhi. Despite this, he was kept waiting for nearly two and a half hours at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday.
Although he was eventually granted entry following high-level intervention, the advisor rejected the clearance and returned to Dhaka.
Following the incident, where the prime minister's advisor faced such circumstances during a pre-scheduled visit, India's acting high commissioner was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, Monday. During the meeting, Dhaka expressed its strong dissatisfaction, describing the incident at the Delhi airport as deeply untoward.
According to diplomatic sources, recent events have introduced fresh unease into Dhaka-Delhi relations, dampening the expectations of positive momentum that had built up following the February elections.
Coming on the heels of the BSF's attempted 'push-ins' along the border, the waiting of the prime minister’s advisor at the Delhi airport is likely to impact bilateral ties.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, multiple authoritative government sources told Prothom Alo that Zahed Ur Rahman was scheduled to attend a two-day meeting of senior officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in Delhi. Several meetings with Indian political and government figures had also been lined up on the sidelines of the summit.
Sources revealed that those sidelined meetings were arranged to discuss the groundwork for a potential visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman within the next month or two. Consequently, diplomatic circles in Dhaka are viewing the airport incident as something far more significant than a mere immigration-related technical glitch.
Indian media reports indicated that during the screening process at the Delhi airport, Zahed Ur Rahman’s name appeared on a watchlist, leading to his interrogation and subsequent delay for several hours.
Acting high commissioner summoned
India's Acting High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Kumar Badhe, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday afternoon. He was called to the State Guest House Padma by Ishrat Jahan, the director general (South Asia External Publicity Wing) of the Ministry.
During the summons, Bangladesh conveyed its intense dissatisfaction over the untoward incident involving the prime minister's information advisor at the Delhi airport on Sunday. Multiple senior officials from the Foreign Ministry confirmed the matter.
Responding to journalists' queries at the Foreign Ministry on Monday afternoon, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman stated that the Delhi incident was untoward. Earlier, he had termed the event "untoward" and "unfortunate," adding that the government was taking the necessary measures regarding the matter.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also told newspersons that what transpired with the prime minister's advisor at the Delhi airport was entirely unacceptable.
Correspondence and phone calls regarding the advisor’s visit
The Bangladesh High Commission sent a formal letter to India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Friday afternoon, confirming that the Prime Minister’s Information Advisor, Zahed Ur Rahman, would lead the Bangladeshi delegation at the IORA senior officials' meeting.
Sources stated that later that evening, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, M Riaz Hamidullah spoke over the phone with B Shyam, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs. During the conversation, the Bangladeshi side highlighted that Zahed Ur Rahman holds the rank of a Minister of State within the Bangladesh Government.
In response, a senior official from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs assured the Bangladeshi High Commissioner that several other deputy and state ministers would also be leading delegations at the IORA meeting.
It is worth noting that the prime minister's advisor holds a green passport. Due to a shortage of time in Dhaka, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued him a SAARC Visa Exemption sticker for his travel to Delhi.
What happened at Indira Gandhi International Airport
Prime Minister’s Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on an Air India flight from Dhaka shortly after 5:00 pm on Sunday. Upon his arrival, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah received him and escorted him to the immigration desk.
At one point, the high commissioner noticed that the immigration officer was scrutinising the information advisor’s personal details on the computer screen with intense focus, without offering any explanation. After nearly 15 minutes had passed, the Bangladeshi High Commissioner enquired if there was an issue, but the officer remained silent.
A short while later, the officer asked Zahed Ur Rahman about his birthplace and whether he had visited India previously. The officer then left the desk and went inside an office. Upon returning, he took Zahed Ur Rahman’s fingerprints and conducted an iris scan.
Shortly thereafter, the immigration officer told the prime minister's advisor, "Please have a seat on the sofa. This will take some time."
Observing the prolonged delay upon landing at Delhi airport, the Bangladeshi High Commissioner contacted the relevant official at India's Ministry of External Affairs. Several phone calls were exchanged between them. Eventually, India's Ministry of External Affairs informed the Bangladeshi High Commissioner that Zahed Ur Rahman’s name appeared on a barred list or watchlist within the Indian Immigration Department's records.
Faced with such a humiliating situation, the prime minister’s information advisor contacted the highest political authorities in Dhaka. Following consultations with Dhaka, the advisor decided to return to Bangladesh.
At that stage, officials from the Bangladesh High Commission requested the return of the passport from Indian Immigration. The Indian officials then announced that Zahed Ur Rahman's clearance had been approved and that he was free to enter the country.
The incident at the Delhi airport was witnessed by passengers from various countries, including Bangladesh.
Jamaat demands statement in Parliament
Following the refusal of entry to Zahed Ur Rahman in Delhi, Jamaat-e-Islami member of parliament Saiful Alam Khan demanded a ministerial statement in Parliament under Rule 300.
Rising on a point of order on Monday, he stated that the prime minister's information advisor had been barred from entering India.
He noted that, to the best of his knowledge, despite proper diplomatic correspondence being sent, the information advisor was made to wait for two hours at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport. Even though permission was eventually granted, the information advisor chose to return.
He questioned what diplomatic failures had led to this and what steps had been taken, demanding a statement from the concerned minister under Rule 300.
However, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad ruled that the matter did not constitute a point of order, adding that the issue would be considered if a formal notice were submitted.
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