Ganga water sharing, visas, energy cooperation likely on agenda for Bangladesh FM visit

Sharing of river water, energy cooperation, the normalisation of visa services, and the war in West Asia are all expected to feature in bilateral talks with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who is expected to visit India this week, according to diplomatic sources.

This will be the first visit by a Bangladeshi Foreign Minister since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Government in Dhaka on August 5, 2024, pushed bilateral relations downhill. In preparation for the visit, The Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry held internal meetings on Sunday (April 5, 2026) in preparation for the visit, which is likely to take place between April 7 and 8, sources in Dhaka said.

Ganga treaty renewal talks

Indian officials said it is important to fast-track negotiations to renew the Ganga water treaty of 1996, noting that subcommittees constituted for this purpose did not make much progress during the fifteen-month-long tenure of Dhaka’s interim government headed by Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus. The newly elected government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who was sworn into office on February 17, has, however, indicated that it is willing to take the dialogue forward and conclude negotiations ahead of December 2026, the deadline for treaty renewal.

Bangladesh Water resources Minister Shahid Uddin Choudhury Anee said on April 1 that the technical committee on the subject has started its work in Dhaka. Bangladeshi diplomatic sources have also hinted that, if necessary, temporary renewal of the treaty can be attempted before the two sides commit to a long-term renewal. It is understood that both New Delhi and Dhaka are walking a tightrope in view of the upcoming Assembly election in West Bengal, where the sharing of the waters of the Ganga could become a political issue.

‘Transiting through Delhi’

Mr. Rahman’s visit also indicates New Delhi’s willingness to engage with an elected government in Dhaka. Several issues, including Ms. Hasina’s presence in India and continued mob violence against Indian missions and visa centres, had cast a shadow over India-Bangladesh ties during the interim government’s tenure. Mr. Rahman, who served as the National Security Adviser under Professor Yunus, is one of the few officials of the interim government who managed to retain significant positions in the elected government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Given the delicate condition of bilateral relations, the Indian side has not yet announced the visit, and sources in Dhaka have described the visit as “transiting through Delhi” before Mr. Rahman proceeds to the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius that is being organised by the India Foundation, in association with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the government of Mauritius. Official sources, however, have indicated that during his stay in Delhi, Mr. Rahman will meet his counterpart External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other senior officials, senior editors, and Delhi-based diplomats.

Energy insecurity challenges

The war in West Asia and the resultant energy insecurity that has emerged as a major challenge for the Tarique Rahman government is one of the issues that is expected to feature prominently in talks as well. On March 10, India sent 5,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh through the Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday (April 2, 2026) gave an update on the India-Bangladesh energy dialogue, saying, “We have received a request from the government of Bangladesh for supply of diesel which is being examined.”

Bangladeshi diplomats have also highlighted the need to normalise the Indian visa process for Bangladeshi tourists and business people as a high priority for Dhaka.

Foreign Minister Mr. Rahman, who had also served as Prof. Yunus’s High Representative on the ‘Rohingya Crisis and matters of priority’, has been a champion of the so-called “humanitarian corridor” between Chittagong and the Rakhine province of Myanmar, which had witnessed an military junta-organised election during December 2025 and January 2026. Mr. Rahman has been supportive of greater international coordination, involving partner countries in South Asia and beyond, to deal with the Rohingya crisis.