India asserted that it expects Dhaka to speed up pending nationality verification cases so that the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants can proceed smoothly. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) warned that any foreign national staying illegally in the country will be repatriated according to the law.
Addressing his weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to a media query about Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman’s remarks following the BJP’s massive win in the West Bengal Assembly elections. He said, “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 the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This obviously requires cooperation from Bangladesh.”
“We expect Bangladesh to take appropriate action in this regard so that the repatriation of illegal foreign nationals present here can proceed smoothly and through established mechanisms,” Jaiswal stated.
He said over 2,860 nationality verification cases are pending with Bangladesh, and several have been pending for over five years. “It is important that we understand the background of these comments, and the focus should be on the core issue that needs to be addressed. I have already shared details regarding illegal Bangladeshi immigrants whose data has been provided to the Bangladeshi side for confirmation of their nationality so that they can be repatriated smoothly,” Jaiswal remarked.
“Our policy, as you are aware, is that any foreign national staying illegally in the country must be repatriated as per our laws, procedures, and established bilateral mechanisms and arrangements,” the MEA spokesperson said.
“We expect that Bangladesh will expedite nationality verification so that the repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place in a smooth manner,” he added.
In response to another media query regarding Teesta River, Jaiswal said, “India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers. We have structured bilateral mechanisms to discuss all water-related issues, and these mechanisms continue to meet at regular intervals.”