‘Political tension with India will not impact economy, trade’

The ongoing political tension between Bangladesh and India will not affect the country economy, said Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday.

Salehuddin made the remarks after attending a meeting of the Cabinet Committee.

”What happened with cricketer Mustafiz is very unfortunate. We did not initiate such an issue. However, the political tension between India and Bangladesh will not have any impact on the country’s economy and trade.”

The adviser said, “In simple terms, this is not right. He is a good player. It’s not as if he was picked gratuitously — he is among the best players. Everyone acknowledges that. They acknowledge it too.”

“There has been no impact of this issue at all on our economy. Our international tenders and purchases are conducted transparently and independently. Sports or such issues were not even mentioned in our discussions. From my perspective, there is no connection between this matter and our economic decisions,”Salehuddin Ahmed added.

He said sports should ideally remain separate from politics, warning against allowing emotions to escalate tensions unnecessarily. “We do not want this to aggravate relations between the two countries.”