Amid the increasing diplomatic rift between Bangladesh and India over alleged attacks on minorities, Dhaka has removed the requirement for Pakistani nationals of getting a security clearance before applying for a Bangladeshi visa. Notably, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) circulated a message to all Bangladesh missions abroad, directing them to facilitate visas for Pakistani citizens and those of Pakistani origin residing in any country.
The instruction follows a letter from the Security Services Division (SSD) of the Bangladeshi home affairs ministry which was sent on December 2. This comes shortly following Bangladesh halted its visa and consular services in its mission in Tripura’s Agartala with immediate effect following an attack targeting the Bangaldesh High Commission over the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Das in Dhaka.
Amid increasing tensions between the two countries, Dhaka summoned the Indian envoy posted there to protest against the alleged vandalism of its mission in Tripura. Further, on Tuesday, police registered a suo motu case and arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the vandalism incident at the Bangladesh mission. Action was also taken against four policemen for dereliction of duty, West Tripura district SP Kiran Kumar K said.
Meanwhile, a Bangladesh court on Tuesday deferred to January 2 next year hearing on the bail petition of Das on a government plea as no lawyer appeared on his behalf. The move also comes a day following the Pakistani envoy Syed Ahmed Maroof held a meeting on Tuesday with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia, a rival of Sheikh Hasina .
This development appears as an attempt by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh in strengthening stronger ties with Pakistan following the ouster of erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who held a pro-India stand. The India-Bangladesh ties have strained since August, when a popular uprising – now widely termed the “monsoon revolution” – toppled the government led by Bangladesh’s longest-serving PM Sheikh Hasina.
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