High Commission of India, Dhaka
October 03, 2005
PRESS RELEASE
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The High Commission of India is deeply concerned over reports in the Bangladeshi media quoting DG BDR as saying that during the recently held talks between the Director Generals of the BDR and BSF in New Delhi, the Indian side had not protested the statement of DG BDR that Indian criminals were involved in the August 17th bomb blasts in Bangladesh. Today (3rd October 2005) Director General (External Publicity), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is also quoted as defending DG BDR’s statements.
This is totally inaccurate and grossly misleading. DG BSF had firmly refuted all such allegations during the talks. Government of India in their Press Release dated 30th September 2005 had already rejected these allegations as baseless and scurrilous, regretting that these have been made against a friendly country, particularly after DG BSF and DG BDR had held useful and constructive talks.
DG BDR has alleged Indian involvement based on the reported arrest of an “Indian national”, one Giyasuddin in Satkhira. In this context, the High Commission of India would like to emphasize that, after seeing these reports in the Bangladeshi media, High Commission of India had, on September 6th 2005, sought credible inputs from the Government of Bangladesh establishing the identity of this person. The High Commission of India has further requested the Government of Bangladesh for grant of consular access in the event this person is an Indian national. Regretfully, there has been no response from the concerned Bangladeshi authorities till date.
The High Commission of India would like to reiterate that in the interests of friendship and good relations between our two countries, it would be useful to directly discuss and clarify doubts or allegations rather than through the media.
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