Tarique Rahman to visit India, NDTV reports
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Photo: PID
Dhaka has said that although there is an invitation, no decision has yet been made on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to India. Amid this, Indian media have reported that the Bangladeshi prime minister is set to visit New Delhi.
In a report published Friday, NDTV claimed that Tarique Rahman is expected to visit New Delhi in the second half of next week. Sources in Delhi and Dhaka said preparations for the visit have already begun.
If the trip goes ahead as planned, it will be Tarique Rahman’s first visit to India as prime minister. The visit could have a significant impact on rebuilding relations between the two neighboring countries.
Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi became strained after the July uprising in 2024. Various actions by Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted from power and took refuge in India, also affected the relationship.
After the BNP formed a government following the election in February, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India. Last month, Tarique Rahman was also invited to attend the BRICS summit scheduled for September.
The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held on September 12 and 13. Bangladesh is not a member of the bloc. However, as chair of BIMSTEC, Bangladesh’s prime minister was invited as a special guest to the outreach session of the BRICS summit.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman’s remarks indicated that Dhaka was not satisfied with the invitation. He told reporters, “The invitation was given not to the prime minister, but to the chairperson of BIMSTEC.”
Last week, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to questions from reporters in New Delhi, said that Bangladesh’s prime minister had been invited both for a bilateral visit and to attend the BRICS summit.
Amid various discussions over Tarique Rahman’s visit to India, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid told reporters yesterday that Bangladesh was positive about the visit, but the date had not yet been finalized.
At the same time, she emphasized the importance of a bilateral visit by the prime minister to India, saying that high level meetings create opportunities to resolve many complex issues between the two countries.
Meanwhile, fresh discussion emerged after Sheikh Hasina held a virtual news conference from New Delhi on August 5.
Leaders of the July uprising have strongly opposed Tarique Rahman’s visit to India before Sheikh Hasina, who has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, is sent back to Bangladesh.
Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and chief whip of the opposition in Parliament, said at a meeting yesterday that Tarique Rahman would not be able to visit India until the questions of how Sheikh Hasina would be extradited and how Bangladesh’s relations with India would be redefined were resolved.
On Monday, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat in Dhaka. The report of Tarique Rahman’s visit to India appeared on NDTV the following day, although Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet made any statement on the matter.
What could be discussed at a meeting with Modi
NDTV reported that during the visit, Tarique Rahman would hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on various bilateral issues, including trade, connectivity, energy, border management and regional security.
The issue of returning Awami League President Sheikh Hasina could also come up for discussion. Dhaka has formally requested New Delhi to send her back. However, the Indian government has said that New Delhi is reviewing the “appropriate legal and diplomatic process” in considering the request.
NDTV reported that the issue of extradition also came up during Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi’s recent meeting with Tarique Rahman in Dhaka. Both governments will now have to find a way to ensure that the dispute does not damage broader bilateral relations.
The bilateral talks could also cover the land border and the sharing of water from common rivers.
The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed in 1996, is scheduled to expire in December. As the deadline approaches, discussions on renewing the treaty could become increasingly important. In addition, the proposed Teesta water sharing agreement has remained unresolved for nearly a decade.
NDTV also reported that Dhaka has sought Indian cooperation on several economic and trade related issues.
A ‘significant’ visit
NDTV views Tarique Rahman’s possible visit to India as significant.
According to the report, Tarique Rahman’s return to power has changed Bangladesh’s political equation. At the same time, India has had to reassess its approach toward Dhaka.
Although relations between the two countries have gone through considerable tension since the July uprising in 2024, Delhi believes the BNP government is interested in working with India.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman’s visit to New Delhi in April and Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi’s meeting with Tarique Rahman in Dhaka are being viewed as signs of improving relations.
NDTV said the visit has been planned at a time when both sides appear interested in restoring some degree of normalcy to their relationship. The visit is not expected to resolve all existing disputes between the two countries. However, direct discussions between Modi and Tarique Rahman could create a channel for political communication to address various differences.
The report said the visit would give Tarique Rahman an opportunity to directly present Dhaka’s position to the Indian leadership. For Modi, it would provide an opportunity to convey New Delhi’s expectations to the new government of Bangladesh.
