Hasan for joint efforts to make people’s movement easier in region 

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday called upon all concerned to work together to help make people's movement easier in the region for their betterment.

“It is a reality that the region is a least integrated one although there is a cultural bondage and attachment among the people since long,” he said and cited an example from the present Europe where anybody can move one country to another freely. 

Interacting with the Indian media fraternity at Bangladesh mission in New Delhi, he said the movement of people between Bangladesh and India has to be made easier as their movement increased many folds in the recent times for different purposes ranging from tourism to treatment.

Journalists working in different foreign and local media joined the programme followed by a working lunch.

Giving an example, the minister said when an artiste (from Bangladesh) wants to visit India, he/she needs clearance from customs department, ministries of cultural affairs, foreign affairs and Indian ministry of External Affairs.

“We have connectivity…we have road link, river link, rail ling, air link…Now we have to make movement of people easier,” he said and urged all concerned to work together on it.

He urged especially the journalist community to build up public opinion in this regard.

Referring to meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, he said that they had discussed wide ranges of bilateral issues covering connectivity, cultural cooperation, corona issue and vaccine cooperation.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran gave a welcome address on the occasion. 

Later, the minister joined a book launching ceremony at Indian Council of World Affairs here. The book titled “Bangladesh War Commentary” was written by U. L Baruah on the War of Independence of Bangladesh.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister paid rich tribute to the martyrs especially the Indian army personnel who laid down their lives during the Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence.

In this connection, he said, “It was never possible to liberate the country (Bangladesh) from Pakistan in a nine-month war without the help of India and its people.”

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran, Vijay Thakur Singh, Director General of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), and Amit Baruah, son of later UL Baruah also spoke on the occasion.