Hasina returns home after attending India Economic Summit, meeting with Modi

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has returned home capping a four-day visit to New Delhi at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

She attended the India Economic Summit organised by the World Economic Forum as chief guest on Friday after embarking on the trip last Thursday.

On Saturday, she and Modi launched three joint projects after the signing of seven deals following bilateral talks.

She also met Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and received the Tagore Peace Award the same day.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines took Hasina and her entourage to Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport from Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi on Sunday night.

Indian Minister of State for Women and Children’s Welfare Debasree Chaudhuri, Bangladesh High Commissioner in New Delhi Syed Muazzem Ali and Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Riva Ganguly Das saw Hasina off there. 

Before Hasina left New Delhi, Indian opposition Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi met her.

It was Hasina’s first trip to India after her reelection.

Officials of both countries hail the relations saying these have reached the highest level during Hasina and Modi’s governments.

The much-awaited Teesta river water-sharing deal, however, has remained a thorny issue, added by the citizenship exercise in Assam State which has recently triggered fears of deportation of those dropped from the citizens’ list.