STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed yesterday said the exclusion of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) has moved into the “political realm”, terming the development “unfortunate”.

He added that the sequence of events surrounding the cricketer did not originate from the Bangladesh side and expressed regret over the situation, stating it serves the interests of neither country.

The adviser made the remarks while responding to questions from reporters following a meeting of the Advisers’ Council Committee on Government Purchase at the Secretariat.

When asked about the potential impact on Bangladesh‑India relations and the economy, with the addition of the ban on IPL broadcasts in Bangladesh, the adviser said, “There has been no impact here. Not a single word regarding sports was uttered during the purchase committee meeting.”

Responding to a query on whether this would affect future bilateral trade, he said, “I don’t see it from that perspective. The decisions we are taking for the economy

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