India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman twice to visit the country but has yet to receive a response from Dhaka, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said.
Jaiswal made the remarks on Tuesday in response to questions about Tarique’s absence from the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, despite being invited to attend the summit as chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
The 18th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
Responding to a question from an ANI journalist, Jaiswal said India first invited the prime minister for a bilateral visit and later invited him to attend the BRICS Summit as BIMSTEC chair.
“We had invited the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on a bilateral visit. Subsequently, he was also invited for the BRICS Summit as the chair of BIMSTEC. So, he had received two invitations — one for a bilateral visit and the other for the BRICS Summit,” he said.
Asked about Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India, Jaiswal said: “On the visit of the prime minister, we have not heard anything. As and when we have something to update you with, we will surely come back.”
Earlier, on September 10, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir told reporters outside the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka that the government was not satisfied with the manner in which the invitation to the BRICS Summit had been extended.
He, however, said a bilateral visit by Tarique to India remained possible.
“Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was invited to BRICS as chair of BIMSTEC. He was not invited as prime minister. The prime minister will undertake a bilateral visit to India when the environment is conducive,” Kobir said.
India invited Tarique Rahman for a bilateral visit after the BNP-led government came to power following the February election.
Dhaka, however, has called for a “conducive diplomatic environment” before the visit takes place, amid continuing tensions over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India.
Hasina left Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following the political upheaval and has remained in India since then. Dhaka has repeatedly sought her return.
Following Hasina’s conviction and death sentence by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal in a crimes-against-humanity case, Dhaka formally requested New Delhi to return her to Bangladesh.
India has said it is reviewing the request through “appropriate legal and diplomatic processes.”
Dhaka also raised concerns after Hasina delivered a speech at a news conference in Delhi on August 5, amid discussions over Rahman’s proposed visit to India.
The Bangladesh government has also sought progress on the extradition process for Hasina and the handover of suspects in the killing of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi.
