New Delhi: Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a rare retraction on Friday, withdrawing an official press release that had linked the cancellation of its customary Saturday ceremony to an impending visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The original notice had announced that the weekly Change of Guard ceremony at the forecourt would not take place on August 22 due to full-dress rehearsal preparations for the ceremonial welcome of the Bangladeshi leader.
The statement was withdrawn shortly after its dissemination following an intervention by the Ministry of External Affairs, which flagged that the high-level diplomatic visit has not yet been finalized. Diplomatic engagements between the two nations remain under negotiation, as Bangladesh has continued to press for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina before scheduling formal bilateral visits.
Under standard administrative protocols, the ceremonial division of the presidential secretariat regularly issues public notices regarding scheduling changes for official events, which are subsequently routed through the press wing for media release. Both the initial announcement and the subsequent retraction notice were formally issued by the Deputy Press Secretary to the President.
