Indians infiltrate Bangladesh in search of a better future: Momen

Dhaka, Ta. December 16, 2019, Monday

Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that our relations with India are normal. He appealed to India that if he had a list of illegal Bangladeshis living in India, he would give it to us and allow him to return.

Responding to a question on India's National Register of Citizenship (NRC), Momen said that India-Bangladesh relations are normal and very good and NRC will not have any impact on these relations.

Mom had canceled her trip to India because she was busy. He said India has regarded the NRC process as an internal matter and assured Bangladesh that it would not have any impact on Bangladesh.

He said that some Indian nationals were entering Bangladesh illegally through Wachtia for economic reasons. However, Momen said that if anyone other than our citizens enters Bangladesh, we will send them back.

Momen has said that Bangladesh has appealed to New Delhi to make it available if it has a list of Bangladeshis living in India illegally. "And we will allow the citizens of Bangladesh to return as they have the right to enter their own country," he said.

When asked about canceling his trip to India, he said that he had to travel due to the busy schedule and absence of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and the secretary of the ministry in the country.

Political sources in New Delhi have said that Khan, who is a minister and Home Minister Asadudjit Khan, canceled India's tour in view of the situation arising after the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament.

Before canceling his trip to India, Momen had disqualified Amit Shah's statement, stating that religious minorities were being harassed in Bangladesh. In this regard, the Foreign Ministry has made it clear that Shah did not speak of persecuting religious minorities in Bangladesh during the military rule, or under the current government.