BD imposes temporary ban on Indian visitors

FT ONLINE

In a reciprocal move, Bangladesh has decided to stop entry of Indian visitors to Bangladesh temporarily, Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen disclosed on Sunday

On Wednesday last, India suspended visas under several categories until April 15, which came into effect from Friday. Indian nationals in Bangladesh and Bangladeshis in India would be allowed to go to their countries.

The modalities of the visa restrictions will be reciprocal, that is, in the same way India has imposed, the foreign minister said while talking to the newsmen after a discussion meeting on the book “Bangabandhu’s Unfinished Memoir” in the city.

The minister said that the main objective of the government is to protect the 160 million people of the country and that is why various steps were taken to prevent coronavirus.

Asked about the complaints of the Bangladeshis, who were quarantined after returning home from Italy, the foreign minister noted that many Bangladeshi expatriates act like princes after coming home.

“They demanded five-star accommodation and food in the quarantine but they have to understand that we have resource constraints,” he observed.

Earlier, addressing the discussion, the foreign minister highlighted different virtues of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangabandhu was an ardent follower of the rule of law and he memorised every line of the constitution of Bangladesh.

Terming Bangabandhu a top diplomat of the world, Dr. Momen said due to his unique diplomatic skill Bangladesh was recognised by most of the countries of the world within a short period of time.

The minister also pointed out that sending back a huge number of Indian soldiers from Bangladesh could be possible due to the subtle diplomacy of Bangabandhu.

“Bangabandhu was killed when he was 56 years old but he spent 14 years of his life in the jail for his role to protect the rights of people of his country,” he said.

Addressing the meeting, Dr. Quazi Kholiqquzzaman said that the Liberation War started with the historic speech of Bangabandhu delivered on March 07, 1971.

Professor Dr. Syed Anwar Hossain in his speech analysed different segments of Bangabandhu’s memoir.

The principle of Bangladesh’s foreign policy was derived from Bangabandhu’s philosophy of ‘friendship to all, malice to none’, Dr. Anwar said.

On February 07, 1972 in a meeting in Kolkata Bangabandhu proposed South Asian cooperation to ensure total end to confrontations among neighbours in the region, he noted.

Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Strategies (BIISS) organised the discussion meeting.

Former Minister Abul Hasan Chowdhury, Chairman of BIISS ambassador Fazlul Karim and its Director General Maj Gen Emdadul Bari also spoke on the occasion.