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Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser for information and culture to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, today said he refused to enter India after being “harassed” for two hours at Delhi airport.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on government progress at the Information Department conference room in the Secretariat today, Zahed said he had travelled to India as a representative of Bangladesh and decided not to proceed with the visit as a form of protest.
“I did not go there in a personal capacity. I went as a representative of the state. Therefore, I felt that we needed to make an instant protest against what happened to me there. That is why I decided not to enter India,” he said.
“This was not as an individual, but as an adviser to the prime minister, I felt there needed to be a clear statement of protest from the government,” he added.
Zahed said he did not intend to create a retaliatory or negative situation through his decision.
“I felt a message needed to be sent both inside and outside the country that this is not Sheikh Hasina’s government. This is a government with a public mandate,” he said.
Emphasising that Bangladesh does not seek hostility with any country, he said, “We do not want a bad situation with any country under any circumstances. I hope this incident will not affect future relations between the two countries.”
Responding to a question, Zahed said he would have no objection to visiting India in the future if proper procedures were followed.
He noted that other members of the Bangladesh delegation continued to participate in the event, indicating that the country did not wish to damage bilateral relations.
Zahed also said Bangladesh would not maintain relations with any state at the expense of its self-respect.
“We are an independent and sovereign state, and a government with massive public support is in power here,” he said.
“Dealing with Sheikh Hasina’s government was one matter. But when dealing with a government that enjoys broad public support, it must be done with due respect. We want a relationship based on people-to-people connections.”
Also present at the press conference were Reyasat Al Wasif, joint secretary of the Ministry of Information, and Mohammed Fokhrul Islam, deputy principal information officer of the Press Information Department.
Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes
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