No new information on Tarique Rahman’s Delhi visit: India
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said it has no new information regarding the possible participation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the outreach session of the BRICS summit to be held in India and his visit to Delhi.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal gave the information in response to a journalist’s question at the ministry’s regular press briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday (September 8).
The BRICS outreach session is scheduled to be held in Delhi on September 12 and 13. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited the Bangladesh prime minister to attend the session. However, diplomatic sources said Dhaka believes a more favorable environment is needed for the visit.
Asked about the Indian government’s position on the attendance of Bangladesh’s top leadership four days before the summit, Randhir Jaiswal said, “I have no new information to share with you at this moment regarding this possible visit by the Bangladesh prime minister.”
The two countries have been discussing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first visit to Delhi since the new government took office in February. Bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries have faced some strain following the political change in 2024 and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India amid the student-people’s mass uprising. Regarding Dhaka’s request to send Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh, India has said it is examining the request.
Meanwhile, when asked whether Sheikh Hasina’s extradition or the prime minister’s visit had been discussed during a recent meeting between Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi and Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in Dhaka, Jaiswal said the meeting was primarily a courtesy call. He said the meeting focused on strengthening people-to-people ties and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Asked about the resumption of the suspended cross-border passenger train service between the two countries from October, the Indian spokesperson said he also had no new updates on the matter.
