India not to open tourist visa for Bangladeshis anytime soon
Indian tourist visas for the people of Bangladesh will not open anytime soon. The Indian high commission in Dhaka is only issuing visas in emergency cases.
Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma said this to the media in response to a question after his meeting with Bangladesh foreign secretary Jashim Uddin Sunday.
“The visas are being issued to those who need them on an emergency basis. Because we have short human resources. It would be possible to resume this (issuing tourist visa) when our activities become normal. But now medical visas are being given to those who need them urgently. Apart from this, we are giving priority to those who are applying for a third country visa going to India.”
Newspersons also asked him whether the issue of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina staying in India was discussed with the foreign secretary. Pranay Verma said that this was not discussed. “Today’s meeting was a regular meeting.”
The Indian high commissioner stressed on maintaining stable, positive and constructive relations with Bangladesh.
He said they want the interdependence between the countries to increase. Bangladesh depends on India and India depends on Bangladesh. That is, they are dependent on each other. “We want it to grow. We are committed to working with the Government of Bangladesh for the sake of development and security. We basically discussed how we can take those things forward.”
Meanwhile, after the meeting, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taufiq Hasan, told the media that India has expressed its interest in holding a foreign secretary-level meeting with Bangladesh by December.
The International Crimes Tribunal has already issued an arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina. When asked about this, Taufiq Hasan said that no instructions have come so far to bring back the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is staying in India, to face trial.
Meanwhile, after the courtesy meeting of the foreign secretary with the Indian high commissioner, the foreign ministry issued a circular in the evening.
It said the they discussed starting Indian visa programme, the status of return of Indian citizens working in projects under the Indian loan agreement to Bangladesh, renewal of renewed travel arrangements, facilitating speedy consular services to the detained fishermen in Bangladesh, repatriating those fishermen by mid-September and foreign secretary-level meetings and meeting at other level between the two countries.