Tarique Rahman's India visit not finalised as Dhaka links timing to talks

Dhaka said Tarique Rahman's proposed India visit will depend on his schedule and bilateral talks. A meeting could help both neighbours address disputes and stabilise strained ties.

In Short

• Dhaka linked travel decisions to schedules, domestic priorities and diplomatic progress
• India sent separate invitations for bilateral talks and BRICS outreach
• Direct leader-level engagement could open space for resolving pending concerns

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India has not yet been finalised, with Dhaka saying the timing will depend on his schedule and the progress of bilateral discussions. The remarks came after India invited Rahman for a bilateral visit and also to attend the outreach session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said the government was open to such visits, while also indicating that direct talks between the two leaders could help address unresolved issues. Her comments come as India and Bangladesh continue efforts to steady ties that worsened after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.

Speaking to reporters at the foreign office on Thursday, Shama said, "The government is positive about visits to all countries. But it will depend on the PM's schedule and on how far discussions between the two countries progress." She also said, "BRICS is still a long way off. A lot can happen in a month."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Rahman to join the outreach of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC. BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, includes India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. On Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said two separate invitations had been sent to Rahman — one for a bilateral visit and another for the BRICS outreach session.

Shama said Rahman’s travel plans would also depend on domestic commitments. "The government is busy, and so is the prime minister. If everything fits together, of course there will be a visit to India, a visit to Japan; all the visits will happen," she said, referring to ongoing domestic programmes and upcoming constitutional activities.

Relations between the two neighbours came under strain after the political change in Bangladesh last year. The two sides began efforts to stabilise ties after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at Rahman’s inauguration as prime minister in Dhaka on February 17, after his party’s landslide win in the parliamentary polls. In April, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited India as part of efforts to repair the strained relationship after more than 18 months of heightened diplomatic tension.

The bilateral strain has also been shaped by the issue of Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh has sought her extradition, and the current government led by Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party has said Hasina will have to surrender and face the law if she returns. Recently, Hasina addressed an audio-only virtual press conference in New Delhi, her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024, amid a massive protest. During that interaction, she said she was determined to return to Bangladesh in December to put the country on the "right track" by restoring democracy, despite the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence.

India later distanced itself from Hasina’s media interaction in New Delhi, saying it had neither played a role in it nor endorsed her comments about the Bangladesh government. After the event, the BNP government sharply criticised India for allowing an "absconding, convicted genocider (sic)" to use Indian soil to launch "venomous vitriol". Asked whether a visit by Rahman to India could help ease tensions, Shama said, "Whenever the heads of two countries talk, there is a chance of resolving many problems. That opportunity is there; it remains." In sum, Dhaka has kept the door open for Rahman’s India visit, but says the timing will depend on his commitments and how bilateral talks move forward.

With PTI Inputs

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