Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman has spoken publicly for the first time about the incident that led him to abandon an official visit to India and return to Dhaka, saying he felt he was not accorded the courtesy due to a representative of Bangladesh after being kept waiting for nearly two hours at Delhi airport.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Zahed described how an immigration delay upon arrival in New Delhi ultimately prompted him to cut short the trip and return home without entering India.
“I felt the courtesy due to my position was lacking,” he said.
“After two hours, I decided I would not wait any longer.”
According to Zahed, he was leading an official delegation to India and the other members of the team cleared immigration without difficulty.
The problem arose when his own immigration process began.
“I immediately understood that something was unusual,” he said.
“The process was taking too long. Officials were speaking to different people and there was repeated delay.”
Zahed said Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah was present from the moment he arrived and spent the entire time trying to resolve the issue through various channels.
Rejecting suggestions that the incident stemmed from his not carrying a diplomatic passport, Zahed said his passport carried a Saarc visa exemption sticker and that the issue could have been raised before his arrival if there had been any concerns.
“The passport was not the reason,” he said.
“If there had been an objection, it could have been communicated in advance.”
As the delay stretched on, Zahed said he concluded that remaining there any longer would send the wrong message.
“I am not speaking as an individual. I currently hold a position in this country,” he said.
“When our High Commissioner was trying at different levels and still nothing was being resolved, I felt it was better to return.”
Zahed said that after he requested his passport back, Indian officials urged him to wait longer and sought additional time to resolve the matter. He declined.
“This was not an act of hostility,” he said. “But I felt a protest needed to be registered. I believed I had not been treated properly.”
The adviser also dismissed reports circulating on social media that he had been extensively interrogated or confined to a room.
“There was no lengthy questioning and I was not locked in a room,” he said.
“Those reports are incorrect. What happened was that I was kept waiting for a long time without any clear explanation.”
After deciding not to proceed with immigration formalities, Zahed returned to Dhaka via Colombo.
He said he deliberately chose not to receive an Indian immigration stamp because that would have formally recorded his entry into India.
“I did not want an immigration stamp showing that I had entered the country,” he said.
“That made the return journey more complicated, but I felt it was important.”
Throughout the episode, Zahed praised the role of Bangladesh’s diplomats, saying the high commissioner remained with him from arrival until departure and that Bangladesh’s mission in Sri Lanka also provided assistance during transit.
While declining to publicly discuss what he believes caused the delay, Zahed noted that various explanations had already appeared in Indian media reports.
“What I can speak about is what I experienced,” he said.
“What I saw was a prolonged delay. The way I was kept waiting did not seem appropriate to me. That is why I decided to return.”
