IPL issue won’t affect trade with India: Adviser

Bangla Press Desk:   Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin on Sunday said the issue of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will not have any negative impact on trade between Bangladesh and India.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting at the secretariat regarding the new import policy order.

“The incumbent government believes in liberal trade and does not want to spoil relations with any country,” he said.

Steps have been taken to amend the import policy to strengthen commercial ties with various countries, the adviser said. 

The government is implementing comprehensive reforms to trade policies and commercial laws to foster a more liberalised, inclusive, and justice-based economic environment, Bashir Uddin said, adding that it is currently finalising changes to the import policy order aimed at simplifying trade operations.

“These reforms focus on easing transaction instruments and aligning conformity assessment requirements with international standards to which Bangladesh is a signatory. These amendments are expected to be presented to the Cabinet for approval very shortly, possibly in the upcoming session,” he added.

On 5 January, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered television channels to suspend broadcasts of the Indian Premier League with immediate effect.

The decision came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) excluded Bangladesh star cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the upcoming IPL season.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has officially decided not to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, escalating the sporting standoff between the two countries to an unprecedented level.

BP/SP