PM leaves for New Delhi on four-day official visit

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left here for New Delhi, India this morning on a four-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi as cooperation on trade, energy, water sharing of common rivers and Rohingya issues are expected to be top agendas during her tour.

“A VVIP chartered flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 10:17 am today,” Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told BSS.

The premier is expected to have talks with the Indian president, prime minister and vice president while several numbers of MoUs on different fields are expected to be signed during her India visit from today to September 8 after 2019, prior to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The flight carrying her is scheduled to arrive in the Palam Airport, New Delhi at 12pm (BD time) where the Bangladesh premier will be received by State Minister for Railways and Textiles of India Darshana Vikram and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran.

A red carpet will be rolled out at the airport in honour of Sheikh Hasina while a cultural team comprising 6-7 members will later perform a welcome dance with playing musical instruments.

During the visit, she is scheduled to hold bilateral talks and a one-to-one meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House on September 6, the second day of her visit.

After holding the bilateral talks, several MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) are likely to be signed between the two neighbouring countries while a press statement will be issued later.

On her arrival at the Hyderabad House, she will be received by Narendra Modi. She will also inspect the ceremonial guard of honour there.

Sheikh Hasina later will join a luncheon hosted in her honour by the Indian prime minister.

She is scheduled to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat today.

On September 6, Sheikh Hasina is expected to have separate courtesy calls on Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

She is scheduled to hold a call on family members of former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee the same day.

Indian external affairs minister will pay a call on the Bangladesh premier today while Minister for Development of North Eastern Region of India G. Kishan Reddy and Nobel laureate Kailash Shatyarthi will hold separate meetings with her on September 7.

Adani Group Chariman, Gautam Adani will also pay a courtesy call on Sheikh Hasina slated for September 5.

On September 7, the Bangladesh premier is expected to address a meeting with top business leaders and a ceremony for awarding “Mujib scholarship” to direct descendants of soldiers, officers of the defence forces of India, who were martyred or critically wounded during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

The prime minister is scheduled to visit Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah Sharif, Ajmer (Ajmer Sharif Dargah) in Rajasthan before returning to Dhaka on September 8 and Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi on her first day of India visit today. (BSS)