Dhaka: Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today stated that India has assured Bangladesh of a gradual resumption of full visa operations, which have been limited for the past year and a half due to security concerns. The minister shared this information while briefing reporters at the Home Ministry following a courtesy call on Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Indian envoy met the minister as part of routine protocol after the formation of the new government. Salahuddin mentioned that India informed the ministry that its consulates and visa offices in Bangladesh had faced attacks, which restricted their functioning to full capacity. However, India has now assured Dhaka that measures are being taken to restore full visa services gradually as the security situation improves.
The development is expected to ease travel and strengthen people-to-people connectivity between the two neighboring countries. The High Commissioner noted that sufficient medical visas are currently being issued. However, various visa centers had been closed, and visa issuance was reduced due to mob attacks and security concerns over the past year and a half. He assured that with improved law and order, the visa centers would reopen in phases, and visa issuance would increase once security is ensured.
The minister assured that no mob attacks would be allowed on Indian visa centers or other Indian establishments, according to a press release from the Home Ministry. He confirmed that adequate security has been ensured at the Indian High Commission and visa centers. The High Commissioner also mentioned that Indian visa applications are now processed online and highlighted attempts to hack the website, requesting necessary action in this regard. The minister instructed the Cyber Crime Unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit to take appropriate measures.
Bangladesh-India bilateral relations will be founded on people-to-people contact, not on ties between political parties, said the Home Minister. He emphasized that Bangladesh seeks to move the relationship forward, learning from past experiences to renew bilateral ties. The shared culture and history between the two countries should be viewed as a strength, with mutual interdependence forming the foundation of their relationship.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed a broad range of issues, including security cooperation, maintenance of law and order, prevention of mob violence and attacks, reopening Indian visa centers, and increasing visa issuance rates. They also addressed combating cybercrime, stopping border killings, holding director-general level conferences between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF), training exchanges between police academies, sending more trainees under India’s ITEC program, exchange of prisoners, expanding trade and commerce, and strengthening overall bilateral relations.
The minister highlighted that border killings remain a hindrance to bilateral relations and requested immediate action to reduce such incidents to zero. He assured the High Commissioner that more Bangladeshi trainees from law enforcement agencies would be sent to India for capacity-building training.
At the start of the meeting, the minister welcomed the Indian High Commissioner, who congratulated him on his appointment. Salahuddin expressed gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The High Commissioner expressed hope that both sides would collaborate to rejuvenate their historic bilateral ties.