Home minister skips BIMSTEC meeting in Delhi

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will not attend the BIMSTEC home ministers’ meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on October 13.

A Bangladeshi delegation led by Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Manzur Morshed Chowdhury will represent the country at the meeting, according to multiple sources in Delhi.

Home ministers and state ministers from the other six member countries are expected to attend the meeting.

Senior officials from the home ministries of the seven member states will meet on October 12, a day before the ministerial meeting. India’s Home Secretary Govind Mohan will chair the officials’ meeting, while Indian Home Minister Amit Shah will preside over the ministerial-level talks.

It remains unclear whether Bangladesh’s decision not to send its home minister is related to the current strains in relations with India.

The meeting is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation against terrorism and cross-border crime. Discussions will also cover human trafficking, drug smuggling, money laundering, countering terrorist financing and improving coordination among law enforcement and security agencies of member states.

BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional organisation comprising seven countries around the Bay of Bengal.