India on Thursday urged Bangladesh to expedite the nationality verification process for nearly “3,000 suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants”, days after Dhaka said it would take action over any alleged “push-in” incidents from across the border, reports Press Trust of India (PTI).
Speaking at a weekly media briefing, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said more than 2,860 requests sent to Bangladesh for nationality verification remained pending, with many unresolved for over five years.
“We have seen comments of this nature being made in 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,” Jaiswal said.
According to Indian media outlets, the remarks came after Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said in a social media post on Tuesday that Dhaka would take action if there were any “push-in” incidents from the Indian side.
Jaiswal said the recent comments from Bangladesh should be viewed in the context of the long-standing issue of illegal immigration and repatriation.
Reiterating India’s position, Jaiswal said any foreign national found to be staying illegally in the country must be repatriated in accordance with law and existing bilateral arrangements.
“Our policy, as you very well understand, is that any foreign national who is illegal in the country, he or she must be repatriated as per laws, procedures and established bilateral mechanisms and arrangements. We expect that Bangladesh will expedite nationality verification so that repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place in a smooth manner,” he said.
According to The Tribune, when asked about remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma suggesting that alleged illegal migrants were sometimes “pushed back” across the border instead of being formally deported through diplomatic channels, the MEA spokesperson avoided directly commenting on Sarma’s statements.
Instead, Jaiswal stressed that the focus should remain on the “core issue” of pending nationality confirmations from the Bangladeshi side. “It is important that we understand the background of these comments. There is a core issue which needs to be looked into,” he said.
