relaxed Indian visa norms for Bangladeshis

No implementation over two years

More than two years have passed but India is yet to fulfil its pledge it made to relax the visa norms for Bangladeshis over 65 years of age and below 13. During her visit to Bangladesh in June, 2014, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that Bangladesh nationals aged over 65 and under 13 will get five-year multiple entry visas.Nowadays, the issue related to Indian visas for Bangladeshis has become quite an issue in the bilateral relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi as more and more people want to visit India for different purposes such as tourism, treatment and study.
“We have been telling the Indians for a long time. They said they are working on it and it will be implemented soon,” a senior foreign ministry official told The Independent.
 When attention was drawn to the fact that Pakistan nationals over 65 and below 13 get on- arrival Indian visas, the officials said, “We also told the Indians the same thing and they appeared to be little bit embarrassed.”
“Even in the recently concluded home minister-level meeting in Delhi, we raised the issue and the Indian side assured us of addressing the matter as soon as possible,” said another senior official. About the prospect of on-arrival visas for all Bangladeshis as enjoyed by many countries, they said that it’s a ‘long shot’.
According to a report run on June 27 by Indian daily The Hindu, the External Affairs Ministry wants the relaxed visa norms announced for Bangladeshi citizens of ages above 65 and below 13 implemented without any further delay.
“To save itself from an ‘embarrassing’ situation as the announcement was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Dhaka in 2014, officials convened a meeting a fortnight ago and urged the Home Ministry to introduce the norms,” it said.
“In her first standalone overseas visit after assuming office, Ms. Swaraj announced five-year multiple entry visas for Bangladeshis fulfilling certain criteria. But stiff resistance from Intelligence agencies and the governments of West Bengal and Assam has stalled the proposal,” said the report.
“A Home Ministry official said Intelligence agencies had warned that the move would lead to an influx of illegal immigrants,” it said. The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh also recently wrote a letter asking that the decision be expedited, it added.
When contacted, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Dhaka Dr Adarsh Swaika told The Independent yesterday that they are working ‘very hard’ and hoped that the External Affairs Minister’s pledge will be fulfilled ‘soon’.
Asked about the reasons behind the delay, he mentioned the coordination between different ministries and departments.
About the media report on the resistance of the intelligence agencies, the Deputy High Commissioner would not provide a clear answer. “We are following it on,” he said. To another question, Swaika acknowledged that Pakistani nationals over 65 and under 13 enjoy on-arrival visas at one entry point.

 

relaxed Indian visa norms for Bangladeshis

No implementation over two years

More than two years have passed but India is yet to fulfil its pledge it made to relax the visa norms for Bangladeshis over 65 years of age and below 13. During her visit to Bangladesh in June, 2014, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that Bangladesh nationals aged over 65 and under 13 will get five-year multiple entry visas.Nowadays, the issue related to Indian visas for Bangladeshis has become quite an issue in the bilateral relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi as more and more people want to visit India for different purposes such as tourism, treatment and study. We have been telling the Indians for a long time. They said they are working on it and it will be implemented soon, a senior foreign ministry official told The Independent. When attention was drawn to the fact that Pakistan nationals over 65 and below 13 get on- arrival Indian visas, the officials said, We also told the Indians the same thing and they appeared to be little bit embarrassed. Even in the recently concluded home minister-level meeting in Delhi, we raised the issue and the Indian side assured us of addressing the matter as soon as possible, said another senior official. About the prospect of on-arrival visas for all Bangladeshis as enjoyed by many countries, they said that its a long shot. According to a report run on June 27 by Indian daily The Hindu, the External Affairs Ministry wants the relaxed visa norms announced for Bangladeshi citizens of ages above 65 and below 13 implemented without any further delay. To save itself from an embarrassing situation as the announcement was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Dhaka in 2014, officials convened a meeting a fortnight ago and urged the Home Ministry to introduce the norms, it said. In her first standalone overseas visit after assuming office, Ms. Swaraj announced five-year multiple entry visas for Bangladeshis fulfilling certain criteria. But stiff resistance from Intelligence agencies and the governments of West Bengal and Assam has stalled the proposal, said the report. A Home Ministry official said Intelligence agencies had warned that the move would lead to an influx of illegal immigrants, it said. The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh also recently wrote a letter asking that the decision be expedited, it added. When contacted, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Dhaka Dr Adarsh Swaika told The Independent yesterday that they are working very hard and hoped that the External Affairs Ministers pledge will be fulfilled soon. Asked about the reasons behind the delay, he mentioned the coordination between different ministries and departments. About the media report on the resistance of the intelligence agencies, the Deputy High Commissioner would not provide a clear answer. We are following it on, he said. To another question, Swaika acknowledged that Pakistani nationals over 65 and under 13 enjoy on-arrival visas at one entry point.