Return from Delhi airport an 'instant protest': PM adviser Zahed
'I felt a message needed to go out, both inside and outside the country, that this is not Sheikh Hasina’s government; it is a government elected by the people,' says Zahed Ur Rahman.
Prime Minister's Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman has described his return from Delhi airport after being held for around two hours as an act of "instant protest," calling the incident "harassment."
"I felt there needed to be an instant protest," he said today (16 June) in response to questions from reporters about the incident, at the Secretariat during a regular press briefing, reports Prothom Alo.
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Zahed said Bangladesh had informed India's Ministry of External Affairs at least two days in advance about his visit to Delhi.
However, upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday (14 June), he was reportedly made to wait for around two and a half hours and was initially denied entry, according to him.
Although he was later allowed entry following instructions from higher authorities, he chose to return to Dhaka instead, the PM's adviser added.
"I did not go there as an individual; I went as a representative of the government and the state. What happened to me there required an immediate response from our side, which is why I decided to return," he said.
Zahed added that although Indian authorities eventually tried to facilitate his entry and participation in scheduled engagements, he declined.
He said he believed the government needed to send a "signature" in response to what he described as an unfortunate situation.
Stating that he did not intend the incident to create any tit-for-tat escalation, he added, "I felt a message needed to go out, both inside and outside the country, that this is not Sheikh Hasina's government; it is a government elected by the people."
When asked if he will be willing to visit India in the future, Zahed said, "Of course I will. If I receive a proper invitation, I will definitely go [there]. I want to engage with India rationally and logically."
He added that cooperation should be based on equality, including trade and other areas.
Indian media reports suggest that during screening at the airport, Zahed's name appeared on a watchlist, leading to questioning and delays.
He later left New Delhi for Colombo on an Air India flight that night. The PM's adviser reached Dhaka from Colombo on a SriLankan Airlines flight yesterday morning.
Later in the day, Bangladesh summoned India's acting high commissioner to the foreign ministry and conveyed strong displeasure over what it called an unfortunate incident.
