India's national security adviser was in Dhaka for roughly three-quarters of the day on Thursday to prepare the ground for Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to New Delhi.
Key Points
- India and Bangladesh are preparing for bilateral talks, with Tarique Rahman expected to visit New Delhi soon.
- NSA Ajit Doval's Dhaka visit formed part of preparations for the proposed summit-level engagement between both countries.
- Talks could cover border movement, trade, water-sharing, energy and concerns over Islamist radicalisation between the neighbours.
- Bangladesh wants Asad Alam Siam appointed as its next high commissioner to India, pending New Delhi's formal consent.
- Recent diplomatic exchanges indicate both sides may be seeking a more pragmatic approach after months of strained relations.
Bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh is likely to take place "soon", with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expected to visit New Delhi.
If it happens this would be the first summit level meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahman since the latter took over as head of the government in February followed by a period of strain in the relations between the two neighbouring countries.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was in Dhaka on Thursday, as part of the groundwork for the visit. Before this, India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi traveled to Delhi before the BRICS Summit and met the prime minister.
Lately, Trivedi has been meeting several ministers and senior government officials in Dhaka. He called on Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Muhammad Shahaduddin Chowdhury Annie. He also paid a courtesy call on Mahdi Amin, Rahman's adviser and spokesperson.
Sources familiar with the developments confirmed Rahman's planned visit. "Bilateral talks will take place soon," confirmed several diplomatic sources whom this correspondent contacted.
They, however, did not disclose the dates, as the host government and Dhaka are expected to announce it officially.
Doval was in Dhaka for roughly three-quarters of the day on Thursday. His visit underscores the seriousness with which both sides appear to be preparing for the talks.
India-Bangladesh Issues On Agenda
Earlier this month, Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and senior defence force personnel held extensive discussions with Doval in New Delhi, sources said.
The exchanges suggest that both sides may have stepped back from their earlier hardline positions and are now looking for a more pragmatic engagement.
Rahman's visit, when it takes place, is expected to cover the full range of contentious bilateral issues: The porous border and cross-border movement of people and Islamist militants, trade, water-sharing, energy, concerns over Islamist radicalisation, etc.
Diplomatic appointments are also likely to figure in the discussions. Dhaka wants to appoint its Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, as the next high commissioner to India. New Delhi has yet to give its formal consent.
The current High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah is scheduled to leave for Geneva in mid-October to take up his next assignment as Bangladesh's permanent representative to the United Nations.
Siam, a career diplomat, was appointed foreign secretary during the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration and had previously served as Bangladesh's ambassador to the US.
Although there is no confirmation, sources indicated that New Delhi may clear Siam's appointment, pointing out that India would not want to be seen as responsible for leaving Bangladesh's mission without a permanent head.
India has invited Rahman to New Delhi twice since he assumed office in February. The first invitation was for a bilateral visit, following his election victory.
Modi congratulated him publicly on X, saying he looked forward to working with Rahman to strengthen bilateral ties and advance shared development goals.
Rahman did not travel to India on that occasion. Sources said Dhaka neither confirmed the visit nor formally expressed regret. New Delhi, for its part, chose not to react publicly, apparently mindful of the domestic political sensitivities surrounding Rahman's early engagement with India.
The second invitation was extended for the outreach session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, given Bangladesh's chairmanship of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
Again, Rahman did not attend. This time, Dhaka's displeasure centred on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been staying in India since her ouster on August 5, 2024, and has given a series of interviews.
New Delhi's position has been that the interviews were privately organised and were not sponsored by the Indian government.
The latest diplomatic exchanges suggest a reset may now be underway. Whether the proposed Rahman visit can translate that tentative thaw into a more durable bilateral engagement will depend on how candidly both sides address the difficult issues that have accumulated between them.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
