'Unsatisfactory': Bangladesh On India’s Explanation Over PM Adviser’s Airport Detention
'Unsatisfactory': Bangladesh On India’s Explanation Over PM Adviser’s Airport Detention Published By, Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 11:20 IST Bangladesh PM's adviser was reportedly stopped
'Unsatisfactory': Bangladesh On India’s Explanation Over PM Adviser’s Airport Detention Published By, Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 11:20 IST Bangladesh PM's adviser was reportedly stopped by immigration officials at Delhi airport after his name appeared on a security-related watchlist. AI-generated image used for representation Bangladesh has expressed dissatisfaction with India’s explanation regarding the brief detention of a senior adviser to Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier this month, describing New Delhi’s response as inadequate. “The explanation provided by India was not satisfactory," The state-run BSS news agency reported, quoting a foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday. The spokesperson termed the incident involving Prime Minister’s Adviser for Information and Strategy, Zahed Ur Rahman, as “unfortunate and regrettable". According to Bangladesh, Indian authorities had been informed in advance through diplomatic channels that Rahman would lead the country’s delegation to a meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in New Delhi.
Dhaka maintains that all necessary procedures were followed before his visit. The controversy stems from an incident on June 14 when Rahman arrived in India to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of IORA. However, he was reportedly stopped by immigration officials at Delhi airport after his name appeared on a security-related watchlist. Bangladesh subsequently lodged a formal protest with India, questioning why a senior government representative was subjected to additional scrutiny despite prior notification of his visit. Responding to the issue on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Rahman was travelling on a private passport carrying a SAARC visa and had arrived in India to participate in the multilateral meeting. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said immigration officials sought clarification regarding the purpose of Rahman’s visit. He added that the adviser was allowed entry after authorities reconfirmed that he was attending the IORA meeting.
“He was subsequently permitted entry after re-confirming that the purpose of his visit was to attend the said multilateral meeting," Jaiswal said. According to the MEA, Rahman was not denied entry into India and was free to continue with his visit. However, Indian officials said he later chose to return to Dhaka voluntarily. Bangladesh, however, has maintained that the explanation does not adequately address the circumstances surrounding the incident. The episode comes at a sensitive time in India-Bangladesh relations and has drawn attention because it involved a senior adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government. The IORA meeting, hosted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, was held in New Delhi on June 15 and 16 and brought together officials from member states of the Indian Ocean regional grouping. While both sides have publicly presented their versions of events, the matter has added a diplomatic wrinkle to relations between the two neighbours, with Dhaka continuing to seek further clarification over the airport episode.
The BriefWire