Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said she was satisfied with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi’s assurance that Bangladesh should not be concerned about the National Register of Citizens in Assam, The Indian Express reported.
This came a day after the Indian government admitted it had not discussed with Dhaka the question of deportation of those who would be declared foreigners by tribunals after being left out of the citizens’ database. The Ministry of External Affairs made the admission in response to a Right to Information query filed by Scroll.in.
Hasina is on a four-day visit to India to participate in the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum, and is expected to meet Modi on Saturday for bilateral talks.
“I don’t see any problem,” Hasina said at an event organised by Bangladesh High Commissioner in New Delhi. “I had a talk with Prime Minister Modi. Everything is okay.” The Bangladesh prime minister also met Delhi-based ambassadors from 78 nations at the gathering along with former bureaucrats.
According to reports, Bangladesh was worried about deportation of those unable to prove their citizenship in Assam. The final list of bonafide citizens was published on August 31, and excluded more than 19 lakh people. Foreigners tribunals will now review their case.
Last week, Modi had reportedly assured Hasina that the NRC would have no impact on her country. They met at a hotel in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session, according to The Daily Star.
“There is nothing to be worried about such an issue as India and Bangladesh maintain very good relations,” Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen quoted Modi as saying.
Meanwhile, at the World Economic Forum summit, Hasina said her country “can serve the economic hub for the sub-region”. She also highlighted estimates that put Bangladesh as the 26th largest economy by 2030.
Hasina, who is visiting India for the first time since parliamentary elections in the two countries, is expected to meet Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. She is also likely to hold talks with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.
“Apart from a number of arrangements that are to be exchanged between the sides during the visit, the two prime ministers will also jointly inaugurate three bilateral projects via video link,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the India-Bangladesh Business Economic Forum and participate in the closing plenary of the World Economic Forum.
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