Delhi assures Dhaka of help in Rohingya repatriation

India's home minister Amit Shah has assured Bangladesh of helping in Rohingya repatriation process so that the Rohingya people can return to their place of origin in Myanmar's Rakhine State quickly and safely.

The promise came during the 7th Home Minister-level bilateral talks held in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, on behalf of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the people of Bangladesh, thanked the Indian government for extending humanitarian support to Rohingya in four phases since 2017.

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas, most of whom entered Bangladesh since 25 August 2017.

Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen earlier hoped that Rohingya repatriation would begin before the UN General Assembly this September.

The bilateral talks between home minister Khan and his Indian counterpart Amit Shah began at 6:30pm in New Delhi, an official told UNB.

They had broader discussions on bilateral security co-operations during the meeting.
Issues related to stronger border management, counterterrorism, capacity building and increased cooperation between security agencies, as well as countering illegal activities like fake currency, drug and human trafficking were discussed at the meeting, officials said.

The two ministers expressed satisfaction over the border management as the two countries are working closer than ever before in all sectors including security and border management, according to Bangladesh Home Ministry. They laid emphasis on combating crimes along the border.

At the beginning, minister Khan expressed deep shock at the demise of former Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Home minister Khan invited his Indian counterpart to visit Bangladesh.

The home minister led the Bangladesh delegation, comprising secretary to Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs Mostafa Kamal Uddin,Bangladesh high commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali and representatives from relevant ministries and agencies.

Syed Muazzem Ali hosted dinner in honour of home minister Khan and railways minister Nurul Islam Sujan, who is also visiting India, on Tuesday evening.

Earlier in the day, railways minister Sujan and union minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal held bilateral talks in Rail Bhavan, New Delhi.

Bangladesh home minister is likely to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning, according to his tour schedule.

Former Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the 6th meeting of India-Bangladesh Home Minister-level talks with his counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan here in July last year.