Bangladesh PM’s adviser returns to Dhaka after being stopped at IGI airport. This is what we know

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's adviser on policy and strategy, Zahed Ur Rahman, returned to Dhaka without entering India after he was briefly stopped by immigration authorities at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The incident, reported by Bangladesh newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, marks the first such episode involving an official linked to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government since it assumed office earlier this year. Zahed Ur Rahman had arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), scheduled to be hosted by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 15 and 16.

According to the report, citing diplomatic sources in both Dhaka and New Delhi, Indian immigration authorities held Zahed for about two and a half hours after his arrival. Although he was later cleared to enter the country following intervention from higher authorities, he chose not to proceed with his visit and instead returned to Dhaka via Colombo. The report said Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi had formally informed the MEA through a diplomatic note on Friday about Zahed's participation in the IORA meeting. Bangladesh High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah had also reportedly communicated with Indian officials ahead of the visit.

Despite the advance notification, Zahed was stopped during immigration checks and kept waiting for more than two hours, with no immediate explanation reportedly provided, according to the Bangladeshi media reports. Meanwhile, The Daily Star cited an Indian television news channel as reporting that Zahed's name appeared on a security-related watchlist during verification procedures. The report further stated that he was travelling on a regular green passport carrying a SAARC sticker rather than a diplomatic passport.