Prime Minister Tareque Rahman could travel to New Delhi late next week or in the first week of September on his first bilateral visit since taking office, Indian media reported on Friday, citing diplomatic sources in both capitals.
Preparations are under way in Dhaka and New Delhi, according to those reports. BD Global Times could not independently verify the timing.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a formal announcement, and officials declined to speak on the record.
Indian media reported that Tareque Rahman is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit, with trade, connectivity, energy, border management and regional security on the agenda.
If it goes ahead, it will be Tareque Rahman’s first visit to India as prime minister, and is seen as significant in setting the direction of relations between the two neighbours.
Diplomatic sources said the trip is being planned as a two-day bilateral programme, though the final schedule has yet to be fixed. India invited Tareque Rahman to New Delhi shortly after he took office in February, and has also invited Bangladesh to a BRICS outreach session in New Delhi in September.
Interest in a first Modi-Tareque meeting
Diplomatic sources cited in the reports said both Delhi and Dhaka are watching closely for what would be the first meeting between Narendra Modi and Tareque Rahman.
India has had to recalibrate its approach to Dhaka since Bangladesh’s change of government. Relations came under strain after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, with differences over several issues, including her presence in India and Bangladesh’s formal demand for her return.
The BNP-led government has said it wants to work constructively with India, and there have been signs of renewed diplomatic contact. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited New Delhi in April and met his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar. Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Tribedi met Tareque Rahman in Dhaka on Aug 10 to discuss ways of improving ties.
The central issue: Sheikh Hasina’s extradition
Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh for India on Aug 5, 2024, and has remained there since. Dhaka formally asked Delhi to hand her over after a Bangladeshi tribunal sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity. India has said the request is being examined through the appropriate legal and diplomatic channels.
The issue flared again this month when Sheikh Hasina held a virtual exchange with journalists from Delhi. Dhaka responded with anger, saying Indian territory should not be used for political activity directed against Bangladesh. The Indian government denied any involvement in organising the event.
Sources said extradition also came up at Tareque Rahman’s recent meeting with the Indian high commissioner. Both sides will need to find a way to manage the dispute without stalling progress on the wider relationship.
Several long-standing practical problems also await resolution. The coming talks are expected to focus on trade and transit, energy cooperation, border management and regional connectivity. With a long shared border and substantial economic and transport links, any political understanding would register quickly in those areas.
Sharing of water from common rivers could be another major issue. The Ganges water-sharing treaty signed in 1996 expires in December, giving negotiations on its renewal particular urgency.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report