Kamal Ghorui
Dhaka: Days after India advised family members of Indian diplomats and officials to return amid threat of violence against Indian establishments in Bangladesh, Dhaka on Wednesday shrugged off New Delhi’s concerns, saying it is their “choice” and “not our concern”. “If they want to take their families back, it is not our concern. There is no security concern. I do not understand what signal is being sent. It is their decision,” Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain said.The advisory was issued last week following massive anti-India protests near the Indian high commission in Dhaka and assistant high commissions in other cities — angry protests had come precariously close to the diplomatic facility in Chittagong — as well as a series of attacks on minority Hindus, including killings, since the death of radical Islamist leader and India-baiter Sharif Osman Hadi on Dec 18, six days after he was shot.“There is no situation in the country that would compel diplomats to send their family members back home or where officials or their family members are in danger,” Touhid said, adding he sees “no justification for the reported non-family posting of Indian diplomats”. He told reporters that the Bangladesh govt has not been informed of any security concerns regarding the family members of Indian diplomats.While the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi and its missions have suspended visa operations, the Indian high commission in Dhaka and its missions continue to remain open.
