'Dhaka terror attack has not affected number of Indians visiting Bangladesh'

Last month's terror attack at a Dhaka cafe that left 22 people dead, mostly foreigners including an Indian, has not affected the number of Indians seeking to visit Bangladesh, a senior diplomat from the country said here on Saturday.

"On an average 100 visas per day are still being issued to Indians by the Assistant High Commission in Agartala. There has not been any drop in numbers of Indians visiting Bangladesh after the recent terror attack in Dhaka," Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Shakhawat Hossain, told reporters here.

He said Bangladesh security forces had taken quick action to detect the terrorists and their collaborators in Dhaka.

On July 1, a group of terrorists laid siege to the Holey Artisan Bakery, an upscale cafe in Dhaka, killing 20 hostages, including nine Italians, seven Japanese, one US citizen and an Indian.

Last year, the Assistant High Commissioner office issued over 25,000 visas to Bangladesh-bound Indians, mostly residents of northeast India.

From August 15, machine readable visa with online submission of applications will be possible from Agartala, Hossain said.

Bangladesh has been expanding its diplomatic presence in northeast India in order to improve trade, people-to-people contacts and cultural ties with the region. Four of the northeastern states share a common border with Bangladesh. Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh.

While the diplomatic mission in Agartala was upgraded last year, Bangladesh has now announced to set up a Deputy High Commission in Guwahati in Assam.

Bangladesh already has diplomatic missions in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. Dhaka recently allowed New Delhi to open Assistant High Commissions in Khulna and Sylhet.

--IANS

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