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Delhi envoy summoned to Foreign Office

Task Force to thwart Operation Push Back

By Toufique Imrose Khalidi
The government yesterday formed a high-powered task force to thwart the Indian efforts to deport the so-called illegal immigrants from Bang-
Official sources said Home Secretary Manjurul Karim chaired an inter-ministerial meeting yesterday to review the situation after the much publicised Indian move to send forcibly Bengali-speaking settler* in various parts of the country other than from West Bengal
India has codenamed the massive deportation' plan Operation Push Back under which it sent back 132 people last September 1 1.
The sources said the task force, headed by Additional Home Secretary S Rahman, would coordinate the government activities to deal with the
situation.
Meanwhile, tn a strongly worded statement, the Foreign Ministry yesterday denounced the Indian bid suggesting the so-called deportation move
might jeopardise the on going efforts to build better relations between the two neighbours.
"No consultations (on the deportation move) had taken place between the two gov ernments despite positive steps taken to strengthen bl lateral relations and mutual cooperation in fields In the wake of the recent visit of the
Bangladesh Prime Minister to India." the BSS news agency quoted an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman.
The Foreign Ministry statement also condemned the
treatment meted out to the deportees and termed them brutal and Inhuman
The Foreign Office Thursday summoned Indian High Commissioner R K Raghunath to formally lodge the protest.
The Bangladesh High Commissioner tn New Delhi has also been instructed to communicate Dhakas protest
to the Indian External Affairs Ministry
On September 11 night, the Indian border guards BSF impressed upon the Immigration officials at Bena pole check point to receive 3 32 people who New Delhi claimed were Illegal infiltrators.
Earlier, the BDR officials refused to accept the people
According to sources, the officials responsible for the mistake have been rebuked by the higher authorities
On Thursday, the BSF tried to push back another 84 peo pk- Bangladesh border officials toiled the move
According to reports reach Ing Dhaka, hundred* of thou sand* of Bengali-speaking In dlans from the eastern state of West Bengal, who settled In northern India especially New Delhi, decades ago. are being evicted to send them to Bangladesh for political rea
Thc sources say these Bengalis. who have always voted for the ruling Congress (1). shifted their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Observers watching the developments interpreted the initiative as an act of vengeance.
BSS adds: The Foreign Office spokesman said, the Government of Bangladesh expressed its deep, concern at the sudden and abrupt developments and the manner and motivations that governed them.
He said the position of Bangladesh government on the movement of people across the long 4144 km IndoBangladesh border is clear and
It has never, now or anytime in the past, encouraged in any manner whatsoever any form of illegal immigration, the spokesman pointed out adding that this continues to remain its consistent polity.
While denying that there
arc any illegal Bangladesh immigrants in India, the Bangladesh government has said, however, that over the past four decades there has always been a two-way flow of people across the IndoBangladesh border of a temporary nature due to religious, cultural and other reasons
The spokesman said position of the Bangladesh government on the issue of Illegal immigrations was categorically made clear in a rejoinder issued’ on May 30.1992 in response to a news item circulated by Press Trust of India on the subject.
The rejoinder was given wide publicity both in the Indian and Bangladeshi media.
It was pointed out in the rejoinder, the spokesman said, there was two-way flow of people on temporary nature across indo-Bangladesh borders owing to religious, cultural and other reasons.
It is. therefore. the spokesman clearly said, wrong and absolutely unfair to single out Bangladesh and state that Illegal influx from Bangladesh into India is taking place.