Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India has yet to be finalised, with the timing depending on his “schedule” and the “progress” in bilateral discussions, a junior minister said on Thursday.
“The government is positive about visits to all countries. But it will depend on the PM’s schedule and on how far discussions between the two countries progress,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the foreign office.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited his Bangladesh counterpart to join the outreach of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC, as India is hosting the event on September 12-13.
The BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional grouping comprising India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said that two separate invitations have been extended to PM Rahman to visit India — one for a bilateral trip and another to participate in the outreach session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September.
“BRICS is still a long way off. A lot can happen in a month,” Shama said.
“The government is busy, and so is the prime minister. If everything fits together, of course there will be a visit to India, a visit to Japan; all the visits will happen,” she said, referring to ongoing domestic programmes and upcoming constitutional activities.
The relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed a major downturn after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
The two sides initiated efforts to stabilise the relations after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the inauguration of Rahman as the prime minister in Dhaka on February 17.
Rahman became the prime minister following his party’s landslide victory in the parliamentary polls.
In April, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited India as part of efforts to repair the strained bilateral ties following more than 18 months of heightened diplomatic tension.
Bangladesh has sought the extradition of Hasina.
The current government in Bangladesh – led by Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party – maintains that Hasina shall have to surrender and face the law if she returns.
Recently, Hasina addressed an audio-only virtual press conference in New Delhi — her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024, in the face of a massive protest.
In her virtual news conference, Hasina announced that she is determined to return to Bangladesh in December to put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, notwithstanding the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence.
India distanced itself from Hasina’s media interaction in New Delhi, saying it neither played a role in it nor endorsed her comments regarding the Bangladesh government.
After the event, the BNP government sharply criticised India for allowing an “absconding, convicted genocider (sic)” to use Indian soil to launch “venomous vitriol”.
Asked whether a visit by PM Rahman to India could help ease tensions, Shama said direct communication between the heads of the two governments could provide an opportunity to address outstanding issues.
“Whenever the heads of two countries talk, there is a chance of resolving many problems. That opportunity is there; it remains,” she said.
