Bangladesh PM’s foreign visit plans won’t cast a shadow on India-Bangladesh ties: Official sources

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s foreign visit plans will not impact bilateral ties with India as Dhaka-New Delhi relation has its own dynamics and requirements that are important on their own, said an official source here on Wednesday (June 17, 2026). The remarks from the official came against the backdrop of reports that Mr. Rahman who came to power on February 17 will undertake his first round of foreign visits next week that will take him to Malaysia and China. Sources in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have told The Hindu that Prime Minister Rahman is considering visiting India in July, after returning from the first round of foreign tours.

“Bangladesh’s relation with India cannot be replaced by any other country. We share nearly 4,000 km of border and no one can replace the work that India does for Bangladesh,” said a source emphasising that Delhi’s relation with Dhaka is independent of any foreign visits by the leadership of Bangladesh. He further said that the two sides need to maintain positive momentum in relationship that will help in re-tracking the relationship that has remained in turmoil since the overthrow of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Last weekend, the High Commissioner-designate of India Dinesh Trivedi reached Bangladesh through the land border in West Bengal and called for resolving differences between the two sides through dialogue.

Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition party in the Bangladesh parliament, however, launched a series of rallies in Dhaka and Chittagong protesting against the remarks of Mr. Trivedi, arguing that the envoy had talked about uniting Bangladesh with India. Talking to The Hindu, the official source on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) blamed social media for the controversy and said, “He had referred to bringing the people of the two countries closer through dialogue.” Prime Minister Rahman is expected to return from China on June 25 or 26 by when High Commissioner Trivedi is expected to settle in his new role in Dhaka, and that is expected to help in formalising high-level talks between the two sides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent an invitation letter to Prime Minister Rahman through Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri who, along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, had participated in Mr. Rahman’s swearing-in ceremony in Dhaka on February 17. Mr. Rahman, however, has not been able to visit Delhi so far, though his Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir visited Delhi in the second week of April ahead of the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius, where Mr. Rahman had participated in the discussion alongside External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. Sources in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party had told The Hindu earlier that Prime Minister Rahman’s plans to visit India would come up soon after he returned from Malaysia and China. “A visit to India is definitely on the cards. It can happen soon after the China visit,” a source in BNP had said.