Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee coming out of the VVIP lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the city yesterday. -AA
India's former president Pranab Mukherjee has arrived in Dhaka on a private tour to attend an international literary gathering and meet the president and the prime minister. He will also receive the Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Chittagong.
He arrived at around 4.30pm yesterday by a Jet airways flight from New Delhi. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali received him at the airport, one of his aides told the media. Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla was also present.
Mukherjee, a veteran Congress leader, was the first Bengali president of India. Bangladesh also awarded him with the 'Bangladesh Liberation War Honor Award' for his role during the 1971 War of Independence.
He will start his official events today by paying respect to Bangladesh's founding father Banga-bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Banga-bandhu Museum in Dhan-mondi. After that, he will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who will also host lunch in his honor.
He will attend the 'Antorjatik Bangla Sahitya Sammilan' at Bangla Academy this afternoon. On Tuesday, he will go to Chittagong where apart from his event at the University of Chittagong, he will also go to Raozan to visit his ancestral homes. He will stay Tuesday night in Chittagong. On Wednesday, he will meet President Md Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban. He will leave Dhaka on Thursday morning.
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