India Trying to Arrange Tarique Rahman’s Delhi Visit in November: The Hindu
Following a period of strain in relations between India and Bangladesh, official-level discussions have resumed. Indian newspaper The Hindu reported, citing diplomatic sources, that officials from the two countries are working to finalise plans for Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to New Delhi. Sources said efforts are being made to arrange the visit in November this year.
According to The Hindu, bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh were affected after widespread reactions in Bangladesh following a virtual press conference by ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Sheikh Hasina is currently staying at an undisclosed location in New Delhi, India.
The Hindu further reported that officials from the two countries have been holding regular meetings in Dhaka. Work is also underway to prepare an agenda for Tarique Rahman’s possible visit. Restoring bilateral trade, which has been affected by instability in political relations, could be given priority during the visit. The renewal of the Ganges water-sharing agreement could also be on the agenda.
According to multiple sources in Dhaka, The Hindu reported that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will travel to New York this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly. He has several diplomatic engagements scheduled for October and November. Efforts are being made to arrange his visit to New Delhi at a suitable time in November.
Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has held meetings with several government officials in recent days. Among them are Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Mohammad Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee and Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahadi Amin.
At the recently held BRICS summit in India, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was invited as the head of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). However, Bangladesh did not send any representative to the event. Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs State Minister Humayun Kabir said at the time that Bangladesh was planning to “reset” its relations with India. To this end, Dhaka would prioritise a bilateral visit at an appropriate or “conducive” time.
Over the past two years, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has sentenced Sheikh Hasina and several senior ministers and officials of her government to death for crimes against humanity. The verdicts were delivered over allegations of their roles in the crackdown on protesters during the July-August 2024 protests. The crackdown ultimately led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
The Hindu, citing sources, claimed that communication between Tarique Rahman and Indian officials resumed as early as February 2024. At the time, he had sent an emissary to India to gauge New Delhi’s position. This was against the backdrop of the widely criticised January 2024 election, which the BNP boycotted.
This communication was a continuation of contacts between the BNP and India during the Sheikh Hasina government from 2009 to 2024. Two months before the January 2024 election, Bangladesh’s current Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku visited New Delhi.
Earlier, in 2018, a three-member BNP delegation also visited New Delhi. The delegation included Abdul Awal Mintoo, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir.
