Bangladesh PM unlikely to visit India for BRICS

The possibility of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to India next month for BRICS Summit “remains slim” unless an appropriate environment based on “mutual trust” is created, along with a “dignified invitation” from New Delhi, his Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir has said. He said Dhaka is in no hurry to arrange a top-level visit without clearly defined national interests.

“There is no justification for rushing into a top-level visit by going beyond the national interest,” Kobir told State-run BSS news agency in an interview published on Thursday. The interview was held on August 17. The comments came amid uncertainties over Rahman’s visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13 amid fresh strains in bilateral ties over Dhaka’s demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“The possibility of the Prime Minister visiting India ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit remains slim unless an appropriate environment is created based on consensus between the two countries on specific issues and a dignified invitation,” Kobir said.

However, he said, Bangladesh could take a positive view of participating in the BRICS Summit if an “appropriate” bilateral environment is created based on “mutual trust” and consensus between the two countries. On Tuesday, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed that the two leaders need to meet and that he wants his Bangladeshi counterpart Rahman’s proposed visit to India to be “memorable”.

“Prime Minister Modi just mentioned one thing. We need to meet. And you can tell them on my behalf that you have the prime minister of India’s assurance that when the honourable prime minister of Bangladesh visits India, he will have such an honourable reception as he deserves,” he said at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commission for leading Bangladeshi business leaders and a visiting delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Kobir, who is also the Joint Secretary General of the ruling BNP’s International Affairs Committee, said the future course of Bangladesh-India relations and any visit by PM Rahman would depend on a change in the approach of the Indian leadership and its understanding of the political developments in Bangladesh. Referring to the youth-led protest in 2024 that led to the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League Government, he said India needed to “properly understand the reality” of the events and the sacrifices made during the movement.

The adviser also expressed resentment over deposed prime minister Hasina, who fled to India following the political upheaval, being allowed to use Indian territory for political activities and media appearances.