Envoy to Bangladesh granted Cabinet Minister status

In a move underscoring the importance New Delhi attaches to ties with Bangladesh, the Centre has accorded Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi the protocol status of a Union Cabinet Minister in the Table of Precedence for ceremonial functions.

An Office Memorandum issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on June 24 said Trivedi had been assigned Cabinet Minister-equivalent rank in the Table of Precedence as a measure personal to him, without any amendment to the existing order. The special dispensation, it said, would apply only to ceremonial functions.

The development comes alongside a significant easing of travel restrictions, with Trivedi announcing the resumption of tourist visa applications for Bangladeshi nationals from June 28.

“I am very happy to announce that we are resuming tourist visa applications, which can be submitted from Sunday, June 28,” the High Commissioner said in Dhaka.

He said India would continue to facilitate medical visas in urgent cases on humanitarian grounds. Visa applications would initially be processed through five visa centres, with operations to be gradually expanded to other cities.

“We hope that this will further strengthen people-to-people ties between our two sovereign nations,” Trivedi said.

The resumption is expected to facilitate cross-border travel that had been affected by visa restrictions. Before the curbs, India was among the most preferred destinations for Bangladeshi tourists, students and medical travellers.

The announcements came as Trivedi formally assumed charge in Dhaka after presenting his credentials to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban.

During the ceremony, the High Commissioner conveyed greetings from the government and people of India and reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to further strengthening the multifaceted India-Bangladesh partnership for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two countries.

The decision to accord Cabinet Minister-equivalent protocol status to a serving High Commissioner is unusual and is being viewed as a reflection of the strategic importance New Delhi attaches to Bangladesh, a key neighbour central to India’s connectivity, security and neighbourhood policies.

While the status carries no executive authority and is restricted to ceremonial occasions, it places Trivedi alongside Union Cabinet Ministers in the order of precedence during official functions and state ceremonies.