New Delhi, India – After a brief disruption in ties, India and Bangladesh have resumed official-level talks to firm up plans for a visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to New Delhi, diplomatic sources have confirmed. Bilateral relations took a hit after the virtual press conference by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August triggered backlash in her home country. Hasina is currently living in an undisclosed location in India.
The Hindu has been told that officials on both sides have continued meetings in Dhaka and are working on setting up an agenda for the visit that will include regularisation of bilateral trade that has been affected because of unstable political relations, and questions over the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty among other issues. Sources in Dhaka said Prime Minister Rahman is scheduled to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly this month, following which he will have multiple diplomatic engagements over October and November, while efforts are underway to schedule his visit to New Delhi during a suitable window in November.
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Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has held meetings with a series of officials over the last few days, including the country’s Minister of Water Resources Mohammed Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee and Adviser to the Prime Minister for Ministry of Education Mahdi Amin. Rahman was invited to participate in the recently held BRICS Summit in his capacity as the head of BIMSTEC, but Bangladesh did not send any representation to the event, with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir asserting that Bangladesh is planning to “reset” ties with India and will prioritise a bilateral visit at a “conducive” moment. Hasina has been based in India since fleeing Dhaka on August 5, 2024, and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had expressed “outrage” over her latest press conference.
