Illegal immigrants issue: India seeks early response from Bangladesh on pending cases

New Delhi: India on Friday expressed hope that it will receive a prompt response from Bangladesh regarding the verification of more than 2,680 cases of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in India.

Addressing the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the process could facilitate deportation under existing bilateral arrangements between the two countries once nationality is confirmed.

“All illegal nationals who are staying in India will be dealt with as per the law. In the case of Bangladesh, as I had informed you earlier, we have referred 2,680 cases or more than 2,680 cases to the Bangladeshi side for them to verify the nationality of those people that we have handed over the names of. Once this nationality verification is done, we will be in a position to deport these nationals of Bangladesh,” Jaiswal stated.

“In many cases, I had told you earlier that these verifications have been pending for more than 5 years or so, and it is our expectation that we will receive an early response from Bangladesh on this particular issue so that the bilateral arrangement that we have between both countries, based on that, these people who are staying here can be sent back to or deported back to Bangladesh,” he added.

Earlier in this month, the MEA called on Bangladeshi authorities to expedite the nationality verification process to enable the smooth repatriation of illegal immigrants from India.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed Eid-ul-Adha greetings to his Bangladeshi counterpart Tarique Rahman and the people of Bangladesh, expressing New Delhi’s readiness to work together on deepening bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

PM Modi noted that India and Bangladesh share a deep-rooted partnership based on shared sacrifices, cultural similarities, and mutual goals of peace, stability and growth.

“The Indian government looks forward to working closely with the Bangladesh government to strengthen people-centric cooperation in various domains. Our shared vision as reflected in our national development goals is aimed at the mutual benefit of our peoples,” he wrote.

Rahman also thanked PM Modi for his wishes and expressed hope for continued strengthening of bilateral ties between the two nations anchored in mutual respect, friendship and goodwill.

“I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his very kind greetings to me and the people of Bangladesh on the joyous occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. May the relations between the peoples of Bangladesh and India continue to be strengthened on the foundations of mutual respect, friendship, and goodwill,” the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office posted on its social media platforms.

IANS