Bangladesh’s interim government on Thursday suspended visa services in some of its key missions in India, including at New Delhi, over security concerns.
The country’s Foreign Affairs Advisor, M. Touhid Hossain, informed a media briefing at his office about directing three missions in India to keep their visa sections closed for the time being. “What I have done is that I have asked our three missions [in India] to keep their visa sections closed for the time being. It’s a security issue,” Hossain said.
The advisor’s briefing came after the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata restricted visa services overnight. This followed restrictions in visa services at New Delhi and Agartala, where business and work visas are not in the purview of the restrictions.
Visa services at diplomatic missions in Mumbai and Chennai remain operative for now.
Ties between India and Bangladesh have been souring since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime was overthrown following violent student protests in the country in July-August 2024. India later imposed restrictions on visas for Bangladeshi nationals after August 5, 2024, also citing security concerns.
In another development, Hossain also told reporters that Bangladesh has sought reversal of a recently-imposed visa bond requirement by the United States, and called the decision “certainly unfortunate and painful for us”.
Hossain added, however, that the decision was “not abnormal” as it was applicable for not only Bangladesh, but some other countries too that faced immigration-related challenges in view of the US administration’s measure.
Hossain was also asked about Bangladesh’s “potential interest” in procuring the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft from Pakistan, to which the foreign advisor said: “I can’t tell about this today. [But] talks are underway. You will know once things are finalised.”
