PM’s Adviser Dr Zahed returns home after being stopped at Delhi airport

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Policy and Strategy Affairs Dr Zahed Ur Rahman returned home on Monday after he was stopped at Delhi airport by the Indian immigration authorities on Sunday evening after his name was reportedly flagged during a security check.

Sources closed to Dr Zahed told UNB that he was subjected to “undue harassment” at Delhi Airport but there has been no comment as of now from Dhaka and New Delhi regarding the matter.

The Adviser was not carrying a diplomatic passport.

He was traveling on a regular Bangladeshi (green) passport with a SAARC visa.

The Adviser was scheduled to attend the 28th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). India is hosting the meeting (June 15-16) in New Delhi.

The meeting brought together senior government officials from IORA Member States to review progress, discuss regional priorities, and advance cooperation across the Indian Ocean region under the theme of Innovation, Openness, Resilience & Adaptability.

The Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) is the second-highest decision-making body of IORA and serves as the organisation’s principal coordinating mechanism.

Comprising senior government representatives from Member States, the CSO is responsible for reviewing and discussing key agenda items, making recommendations, and submitting policy matters to the Council of Ministers (COM) for final approval.