Over 2,860 nationality verification cases pending with Bangladesh: MEA
India on Thursday said comments made by Bangladeshi officials regarding the possible “pushback” of illegal immigrants from West Bengal should be viewed in the context of the ongoing issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals from India.
Addressing a media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India requires cooperation from Bangladesh to complete nationality verification of illegal immigrants.
“We have seen comments of this nature being made over the last several days. These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This obviously requires cooperation from Bangladesh. More than 2,860 cases of nationality verification are pending with Bangladesh, several of which have remained unresolved for over five years,” Jaiswal said.
He reiterated that India’s policy is to repatriate all illegal foreign nationals in accordance with established laws, procedures, and bilateral mechanisms.
“We expect Bangladesh to expedite nationality verification so that the repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place smoothly,” he added.
Jaiswal was responding to remarks reportedly made by Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Adviser Khalilur Rahman, who had said that Bangladesh would take “appropriate action” if pushbacks increased following the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal elections.
The comments come amid rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries over the issue of illegal immigration.
Earlier, Bangladesh summoned acting Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, to formally protest remarks allegedly made by Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding the deportation of alleged illegal immigrants from Assam.
According to reports, Bangladeshi officials conveyed their concerns during the meeting and stressed the need to avoid statements that could adversely affect bilateral relations.
The diplomatic protest followed Sarma’s statement on April 26, in which he said that 20 foreign nationals had been apprehended in Assam and “pushed back” to Bangladesh.
In a post on X, Sarma wrote, “Rude people don’t understand soft language. We continuously remind ourselves of this prophetic line when we expel infiltrators from Assam who don’t leave themselves. For instance, these 20 illegal Bangladeshis who were pushed back last night.”
Bangladesh described such public remarks as “counterproductive” and warned that they could strain ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Jaiswal was also asked about reports that Bangladesh may discuss the Teesta river issue with China.
Responding to the query, he said India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers and already have structured bilateral mechanisms in place to address water-sharing concerns.
“India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers. We have structured bilateral mechanisms to discuss all water-related issues, and these mechanisms continue to meet regularly,” he said.
The Teesta water-sharing issue has remained unresolved for years. Bangladesh has long sought a larger share of Teesta river waters, while West Bengal has opposed the proposed agreement, citing concerns over its own agricultural and water requirements.
An attempt to resolve the dispute was made in 2011 during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh. The proposed agreement reportedly suggested allocating 37.5 per cent of Teesta waters to Bangladesh and 42.5 per cent to India, but it could not be finalised due to objections from the West Bengal government.
An earlier ad-hoc arrangement reached in 1983 had proposed allocating 36 per cent of the water flow to Bangladesh and 39 per cent to India, while the remaining 25 per cent was left undecided. However, the agreement was never fully implemented.
-ANI
