Bangladesh Foreign Minister cancels India's visit due to 'increasing demand at home'

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said that he has canceled his India visit due to "increasing demand at home".

Momen was scheduled to arrive in Delhi today for his three-day visit to attend the sixth edition of the Indian Ocean Dialogue and the combined session of the Delhi Dialogue XI.

He was also supposed to hold talks on bilateral issues with external affairs minister S Jaishanker.

Momen, who was the chief guest at event in Delhi, said that he has to participate in the Buddijibi Debosh and Bijoy Debosh.

"I had to cancel my trip to New Delhi as I have to participate in the Buddijibi Debosh and Bijoy Debosh and more so as our State Minister is out of the country in Madrid and our Foreign Secretary is in The Hague. Given increasing demand at home, I decided to cancel his trip," said Momen.

The foreign minister said that he is looking forward to his January visit.

"I am looking forward to attending the next meeting in January. I am sending our DG to attend the event," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Momen has rejected Home Minister Amit Shah's statements on the condition of religious minorities in Bangladesh, calling the remarks as 'unwarranted as well as untrue'.

While introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 in the Lok Sabha, Shah had said that the Bill was brought to ensure that persecuted communities in Pakistan, Afghstan and Bangladesh can live a dignified life in India.

The Bill aimed at providing Indian citizenship to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country.

Responding to it, Momen claimed that there were only 'a very few countries where communal harmony is as good as in Bangladesh' and invited Shah to witness it by visiting the country.

"What they are saying in regards to torture on Hindus is unwarranted as well as untrue. There are very few countries in the world where communal harmony is as good as in Bangladesh. We have no minorities. We are all equal. If he [Amit Shah] stayed in Bangladesh for a few months, he would see the exemplary communal harmony in our country," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )