Bangladesh–India Work on PM Tarique Rahman’s Proposed New Delhi Visit in November

Bangladeshi and Indian officials have resumed discussions to finalise Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to New Delhi in November, following a period of strain in bilateral relations, The Hindu reported, citing diplomatic sources.

Diplomatic sources said both countries were working to arrange the visit during November this year. Officials from Bangladesh and India have been holding regular meetings in Dhaka and are preparing an agenda for the possible visit, according to the report.

Bilateral trade disrupted by political instability could be a key focus of the talks. Renewal of the Ganges water-sharing treaty may also be discussed during the visit.

The Hindu reported that Bangladesh-India relations were affected after widespread reactions in Bangladesh to a virtual press conference by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Sheikh Hasina is currently staying at an undisclosed location in New Delhi, India.

Multiple sources in Dhaka told The Hindu that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will travel to New York this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly session. Diplomatic engagements are scheduled for him throughout October and November, with officials attempting to arrange the New Delhi visit at a suitable time in November.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has met several government officials in recent days, including Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Muhammad Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie and Prime Minister’s adviser Mahadi Amin.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was invited to a recent BRICS summit held in India in his capacity as head of BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. Bangladesh, however, did not send a representative to the event.

Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir had said Bangladesh planned to “reset” or restructure its relationship with India. Dhaka would prioritise a bilateral visit at an appropriate or favourable time, he said.

The Hindu had earlier reported that the BNP government viewed the cancellation of a programme by supporters of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League in early September as a “positive signal”. Sheikh Hasina has remained in India since seeking shelter there after being removed from power on August 5, 2024.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “anger” following Sheikh Hasina’s latest virtual press conference, according to the report.

Over the past two years, Dhaka’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina and several senior ministers and officials from her government to death for crimes against humanity. The verdicts were issued over allegations of their role in suppressing protesters during July and August 2024, a crackdown that ultimately led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.

The Hindu, citing sources, reported that contacts between Tarique Rahman and Indian officials resumed from at least February 2024. Tarique Rahman had sent an envoy to India at that time to gauge New Delhi’s position following the widely criticised January 2024 election, which the BNP boycotted.

The contacts continued a pattern of communication between the BNP and India during Sheikh Hasina’s government from 2009 to 2024. Bangladesh’s current Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku visited New Delhi two months before the January 2024 election.

In an interview with The Hindu, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku urged India to provide “unambiguous support for the democratic aspirations” of Bangladesh’s people. A three-member BNP delegation had also visited New Delhi in 2018. The delegation included Abdul Awal Mintoo, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir.