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Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Policy and Strategy Affairs Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday (June 16) said he decided to return to Dhaka after being held up for more than two hours at Delhi airport because the incident required an immediate response from Bangladesh.

“I felt there needed to be an instant protest,” Rahman told reporters, a day after Dhaka formally protested the episode to New Delhi, at the Secretariat during a regular press briefing when asked about the incident.

Bangladesh had informed India’s Ministry of External Affairs at least two days in advance about his visit to Delhi, Rahman said. However, upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport on June 14, he was reportedly made to wait for around two and a half hours and was initially denied entry.

Although he was later allowed entry following instructions from higher authorities, Rahman said he chose to return to Dhaka instead.

“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.

Rahman 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.”

Asked whether he would be willing to visit India in future, Rahman said, “Of course I will. If I receive........

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