PM to leave for Kolkata Friday morning

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina goes to Kolkata on Friday morning to watch the second Test match of the two-match Test series between Bangladesh and India that will begin at Eden Gardens in Kolkata later in the day.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina to attend the historic day-night Test match which will be played with pink ball. Earlier, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly invited Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to watch the second Test match to be held from November 22 to 26.

A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her entourage will depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 10am. It will land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport Kolkata at 10:25am (Indian time).

After the ceremonial programmes at the airport, the Prime Minister will go to Hotel Taj Bengal Kolkata where she will be staying during her short visit there.

Hasina will go to the Eden Gardens Stadium at about 12:30pm (local time) where she will ring the ceremonial bell along with the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee for the opening of the test match between Bangladesh and India.

After watching the first session of the second Test match, the Prime Minister will return to her place of residence.

In the evening, she will again go to the stadium. After the first day's match, she will attend a small cultural programme to be followed by a felicitation programme arranged by the Cricket Association of Bengal at the ground of Eden Gardens Stadium and deliver her speech.

Later, she will go to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The Prime Minister will depart from Kolkata by Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Special flight at 10pm (local time) and landed at Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 11:30pm (Bangladesh time).

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, while briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not join Sheikh Hasina in Kolkata due to his pre-engagement.

He also said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be treated as a State guest.