National

PM returns home

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home on Sunday night after wrapping up her four-day official tour to India, reports BSS. 

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage members landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10.35 pm local time.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, PM’s Security Affairs Adviser Maj Gen (Retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Principal Coordinator on SDG Affairs at the PMO Abul Kalam Azad and PMO Secretary Sajjadul Hasan, among others, received the PM at the airport.

Earlier, the VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage members left the Air Force Station, Palam, at New Delhi at 8:00 pm local time.

Indian Minister of State for Women and Child Development Debasree Chaudhuri along with Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Moazzem Ali and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das saw the Prime Minister off at the airport.

Earlier in the day, Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi called on the Bangladesh premier at her place of residence.

During her first India visit after assuming office for the third consecutive term, the premier held bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the historic Hyderabad House in New Delhi yesterday picking up the threads of discussion during their recent bilateral meeting on the fringes of the 74th UNGA session in New York.

After the bilateral talks, a total of seven instruments were signed and exchanged between the two countries in presence of the two premiers at the Hyderabad House while the two prime ministers jointly launched three projects.

She also paid a courtesy call on Indian President Shri Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan on the same day.

In the evening, Sheikh Hasina received ‘Tagore Peace Award 2018’ in New Delhi in recognition of her contribution to maintaining regional peace and prosperity.

The Asiatic Society, Kolkata conferred the award on the Prime Minister at a function at Taj Mahal Hotel.

Earlier on yesterday morning, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar called on the Bangladesh premier at her place of residence. Sheikh Hasina also attended an official launch and signed the visitor’s book at Hyderabad House on the same day.

On the first day of her tour on Thursday, Sheikh Hasina attended the country strategy dialogue on Bangladesh in the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum held at Darbar Hall, Hotel Taj Palace.

She also attended a reception and a dinner arranged in her honour at Maitree Hall, Bangladesh High Commission and Bangladesh House respectively on the same day. The High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India hosted the dinner.

On the 2nd day of her tour on Friday, the premier attended an interactive session with the select CEOs of India at Tian, ITC Maurya and the inauguration ceremony of India-Bangladesh Business Forum (IBBF) at Kamal Mahal, ICT Maurya and closing plenary session of the World Economic Forum at Darbar Hall, Hotel Taj Palace.

Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Heng Swee Keat also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier, a red carpet was rolled out as Sheikh Hasina arrived here on the morning on October 3 on a four-day official visit to attend the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF).