PM Hasina arrives in New Delhi on 4-day visit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi, India on Monday on a four-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

A VVIP chartered flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members landed at the Palam Airport, New Delhi at 12pm (BD time). 

State Minister for Railways and Textiles of India Darshana Vikram and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran received the premier.

A red carpet was rolled out at the airport in honour of Sheikh Hasina. Later, a cultural team comprising 6-7 members performed a welcome dance and played musical instruments.   

During the visit, she is scheduled to hold bilateral talks and a one-to-one meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House on September 6, the second day of her India visit.

After holding the bilateral talks, several MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) are likely to be signed between the two neighbouring countries while a press statement will be issued later.    

On her arrival at the Hyderabad House, she will be received by Narendra Modi. She will inspect the ceremonial guard of honour there.

Sheikh Hasina later will join a luncheon to be hosted in her honour by the Indian Prime Minister.

She is scheduled to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat on September 5.

On September 6, Sheikh Hasina is expected to make separate courtesy calls on Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

She is scheduled to meet family members of former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee on the same day.

The Indian External Affairs Minister will pay a call on the Bangladesh Premier on September 5 while Minister for Development of North Eastern Region of India G. Kishan Reddy and Nobel laureate Kailash Shatyarthi will make separate calls on her on September 7.    

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani will also pay a courtesy call on Sheikh Hasina slated for September 5.     

On September 7, the Bangladesh Premier is expected to address a meeting of top business leaders and a ceremony for awarding “Mujib scholarship” to direct descendants of soldiers, officers of the defence forces of India, who were martyred or critically wounded during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah Sharif, Ajmer (Ajmer Sharif Dargah) in Rajasthan before returning to Dhaka on September 8 and Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi on her first day of India visit on September 5.