Bangladesh PM’s foreign visits won’t affect India ties, say officials

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s forthcoming foreign visits are not expected to cast a shadow on India-Bangladesh ties, official sources asserted on Wednesday, underscoring that the bilateral relationship rests on its own foundation of shared borders, economic interdependence, and mutual security concerns. The remarks came on June 17, 2026, 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 to Malaysia and China.

Sources in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have indicated that Prime Minister Rahman is considering a visit to India in July, after returning from these initial tours. However, officials maintain that such travel plans are independent of the core India-Bangladesh engagement. “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,” a source underscored, adding that Delhi views its ties with Dhaka as autonomous of any foreign visits by Bangladesh’s leadership.

The official further stressed the need to sustain positive momentum to recalibrate a relationship that has been in flux since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. In a significant development last weekend, India’s High Commissioner-designate Dinesh Trivedi entered Bangladesh through the land border in West Bengal, a move seen as reinforcing the terrestrial bond, and advocated for resolving bilateral differences through dialogue.

Trivedi’s arrival, however, sparked controversy after Bangladesh’s main opposition party, Jamaat-e-Islami, staged rallies in Dhaka and Chittagong, alleging that the envoy had suggested a union of the two nations. Addressing the uproar, the official source dismissed the claims as a misrepresentation amplified by social media, clarifying that Trivedi had only spoken of “bringing the people of the two countries closer through dialogue.” Prime Minister Rahman is scheduled to return from China by June 25 or 26, around which time High Commissioner Trivedi is expected to assume his formal duties in Dhaka, a development that could pave the way for high-level bilateral talks.

The groundwork for a summit has been in place since Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent an invitation to Rahman through Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who, alongside Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, attended the swearing-in ceremony in Dhaka on February 17. While Rahman has yet to travel to Delhi, his Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir visited the Indian capital in the second week of April. Their trip preceded the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius, where the Bangladesh prime minister joined a discussion with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, a platform that signaled continued high-level engagement despite recent strains.

BNP sources earlier confided that plans for a visit to India would crystallize shortly after the Malaysia and China tours. “A visit to India is definitely on the cards. It can happen soon after the China visit,” a party insider said. With Trivedi’s accreditation expected soon, diplomatic channels are likely to be activated to finalize the itinerary, reflecting a mutual intent to restore trust and deepen a relationship that both sides acknowledge is irreplaceable.