Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Policy and Strategy Affairs Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday (June 16) said he decided to return to Dhaka after being held up for more than two hours at Delhi airport because the incident required an immediate response from Bangladesh.“I felt there needed to be an instant protest,” Rahman told reporters, a day after Dhaka formally protested the episode to New Delhi, at the Secretariat during a regular press briefing when asked about the incident.Bangladesh had informed India’s Ministry of External Affairs at least two days in advance about his visit to Delhi, Rahman said. However, upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport on June 14, he was reportedly made to wait for around two and a half hours and was initially denied entry.Although he was later allowed entry following instructions from higher authorities, Rahman said he chose to return to Dhaka instead.“I did not go there as an individual; I went as a representative of the government and the state. What happened to me there required an immediate response from our side, which is why I decided to return,” he said.Rahman added that although Indian authorities eventually tried to facilitate his entry and participation in scheduled engagements, he declined. He said he believed the government needed to send a “signature” in response to what he described as an unfortunate situation.Stating that he did not intend the incident to create any tit-for-tat escalation, he added, “I felt a message needed to go out, both inside and outside the country, that this is not Sheikh Hasina’s government. It is a government elected by the people.”Asked whether he would be willing to visit India in future, Rahman said, “Of course I will. If I receive a proper invitation, I will definitely go [there]. I want to engage with India rationally and logically.”He added that cooperation should be based on equality, including trade and other areas.His remarks came a day after Bangladesh summoned India’s deputy high commissioner and Charge d’Affaires in Dhaka Pawan Badhe and conveyed Bangladesh’s displeasure to New Delhi over the treatment of the prime minister’s adviser at Delhi airport.The incident has further complicated Dhaka-Delhi ties at a time when both countries are trying to rebuild relations after the BNP government came to power.Rahman, who had frequently criticised certain Indian and BJP policies through his YouTube commentary before joining the government, was travelling to India to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), held on June 15-16 and hosted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.Bangladesh opposition reacts to developmentsForeign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman described the episode as “unexpected and unfortunate” and said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was taking appropriate steps regarding the matter.An opposition lawmaker, Md Saiful Alam Khan Milon, raised the issue in parliament on June 15, describing the incident as an “extremely sensitive and serious matter” linked to national dignity.While there was no official statement in New Delhi, The Wire had reported a day earlier that Indian sources had claimed Rahman was held for “verification” after his name triggered an alert on arrival on account of his previous statements. They added that he was subsequently granted a one-time exemption to enter India, but by then had decided to return to Dhaka on a night flight via Colombo.Responding to the recent issue involving Zahed, M. Humayun Kabir, former Bangladesh ambassador to the United States, said the incident should not have happened.“Whoever was responsible should have corrected the situation at the appropriate level. He is an adviser to the prime minister, so the incident was undesirable and, in my view, should not have taken place,” Kabir said.Kabir said it was important to establish exactly what had happened before drawing broader conclusions about the implications for bilateral ties. “If there was a misunderstanding and the Indian side explains the matter and expresses regret, then I think the issue should end there,” he said.At the same time, Kabbir cautioned that the issue could become more complicated depending on New Delhi’s response.“However, if they [the Indian side] do not provide a satisfactory explanation or attempt to justify the incident, it could unnecessarily complicate the situation. So much depends on how the Indian side responds now. The next course of action will follow from that response.”A context of friction between neighboursKabir said the airport episode did not occur in isolation and should be viewed alongside other recent developments that have generated friction between the neighbours.“A couple of developments including push-ins in borders are taking place that are not helpful for our relationship. These are complicating the relationship because they create negative perceptions and misunderstandings about what is happening,” he said.He also referred to remarks made by India’s newly appointed high commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, saying they had been interpreted differently by many people despite what may have been the envoy’s intentions.Trivedi, who reached Bangladesh through the Benapole-Petrapole land crossing on June 12, told reporters that he did not feel like a foreigner after entering Bangladesh. “We have a population of 140 crore and Bangladesh has 20 crore people. Whatever we do, we have to do it together. We cannot be powerful in isolation,” he said.Trivedi also reportedly remarked on “India and Bangladesh becoming one”, sparking hundreds of social media posts.“While he may have made those comments in good faith, the timing and language were interpreted differently by many people,” said Kabir.According to him, these developments have added to sensitivities that already exist in Bangladesh regarding relations with India. He said, “There is already a particular sentiment in Bangladesh following the events of July 4, and now this issue involving Zahid Rahman has emerged. All these developments are not helping the bilateral relationship.”Since early June, after Suvendu Adhikari became West Bengal chief minister, border forces have resisted around 30 attempts to push people into Bangladesh by the Indian Border Security Force. In some cases, women and children were left stranded in no-man’s land.State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed on June 9 said India’s attempts to push people into Bangladesh without following due process would not be accepted. She stated that Bangladesh had sent a dozen diplomatic letters to India seeking an end to push-in attempts along the border and cautioned that such incidents could strain bilateral relations, stressing that repatriation of undocumented individuals must follow legal processes.Also seeking clarification on Trivedi’s reported remark about “India and Bangladesh becoming one”, opposition chief Shafiqur Rahman said in a post on his verified Facebook page that it could create confusion among the public if left unexplained.