Preparations are quietly but steadily under way for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to make his maiden visit to India as early as next week, official sources in Dhaka say.A meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is part of the visit, and the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including trade, connectivity, energy, border management and regional security.
Labbono Chowdhury : Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to make his maiden official visit to New Delhi in the latter half of next week. The prospective visit aims to normalize bilateral relations and address key issues including trade, energy cooperation, and regional security.
Preparations are quietly but steadily under way for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to make his maiden visit to India as early as next week, official sources in Dhaka say.
A meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is part of the visit, and the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including trade, connectivity, energy, border management and regional security.
The two-day visit is being planned as a bilateral engagement, though details such as the schedule are still being worked out, said people familiar with the discussions.The likely dates for the visit are Aug 22-23, according to diplomatic and political sources, although the schedule has yet to be formally announced.
The planned bilateral trip is being viewed as a significant step towards normalising relations between the two neighbours, with energy, trade, connectivity and border management expected to be high on the agenda.India has extended two invitations to the prime minister — one for a bilateral visit and another to attend a multilateral summit.
While India has proposed dates as early as next week, the exact schedule remains unconfirmed due to domestic and geopolitical factors.
Schedule Fluctuations: India has pushed for August 21–23. However, senior Bangladeshi political and diplomatic figures have indicated that late August or early September may work better due to domestic commitments, such as the upcoming presidential election and resuming parliament sessions.
The “Sheikh Hasina” Factor: Relations remain delicate. Dhaka recently expressed strong outrage after ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hosted a virtual media conference from New Delhi. Diplomatic sources note that the progress of the state visit is deeply tied to how New Delhi manages Hasina’s political activities and Dhaka’s demands for her extradition.
BRICS and BIMSTEC Invitation: India extended two separate invitations—one for this standalone bilateral trip and another for the BRICS Summit Outreach Session in New Delhi from September 12–13, where Rahman is invited as the current BIMSTEC Chairperson. Dhaka strongly prefers completing a distinct bilateral state visit before any multilateral summit takes place.
Diplomatic sources suggest : the meeting may have helped pave the way for the prime minister to consider a short visit to India.If the Aug 22-23 trip goes ahead, it would come just over a week after India marked its Independence Day on Aug 15 and would be Tarique’s first visit to the neighbouring country since becoming prime minister.
