Bangladesh ready to take its nationals living illegally in India

Dhaka: Amid rising protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill and NRC, Bangladesh foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen, who cancelled his visit to India on Thursday citing his busy schedule, said on Sunday that his country is ready to take its nationals living illegally in India and has requested India to provide a list of them.

He was responding to a question on India’s National Register of Citizenship (NRC). Saying that the NRC process is India’s internal matter, Momen said it will not affect Bangladesh-India relations.

However, Momen also said if anybody other than their citizens enters Bangladesh, he will be sent back.

Saying that Bangladesh has requested New Delhi to provide a list of Bangladeshis living illegally in India, “if any”, to be repatriated, Momen asserted: “We will allow them (Bangladesh citizens) as they have the right to enter into their own country.”

Though Momen cited busy schedule for the cancellation of his India visit, diplomatic sources in New Delhi had said that Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India over the situation arising out of the passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.