Bangladesh reviews Modi invite to PM Tarique Rahman for India visit

Dhaka,UPDATED: Jul 29, 2026 21:28 IST

Bangladesh is reviewing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said on Wednesday. The invitation includes a special request to attend the upcoming 18th BRICS Summit in Delhi, even as Dhaka weighs it alongside other overseas engagements for the prime minister.

The comments came after Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi called on the foreign minister in Dhaka, with both sides signalling a desire to strengthen ties while also acknowledging unresolved issues in the relationship. The meeting was part of wider efforts by the two neighbours to stabilise relations after a prolonged period of strain.

Asked about India's invitation, Rahman told reporters, "We are currently reviewing it (invitation)." He said the prime minister had received several invitations for foreign visits and was also scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly in New York. "So, we have to consider all these engagements together," he added.

According to officials in Dhaka, Modi first invited his Bangladesh counterpart to visit India along with his family in February. Last week, he sent a fresh invitation to attend the BRICS Summit. Trivedi said the proposed visit was "entirely an issue of (Bangladesh) prime minister's prerogative and decision. But on our part, we could say we are eagerly looking forward to welcoming the head of the Bangladesh government." He added, "We hope the visit will take place very soon."

In a post on X, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said the envoy "reaffirmed India's commitment to a positive, constructive and forward-looking partnership with Bangladesh, rooted in mutual interest and mutual benefit, and to deepening people-centric cooperation across all sectors." It also said he met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam for a wide-ranging exchange on strengthening bilateral ties.

Trivedi arrived in Bangladesh on June 12, 2026, and presented his credentials to then-President Mohammed Shahabuddin on June 25. After the meeting, Rahman, who was joined by the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir, said the two sides agreed that "our two countries' relations should move forward keeping mutual interests at the forefront and, as I always say, based on sovereign equality." He also said there were some "irritants" in Bangladesh-India ties that needed attention. "He (envoy) knows about them, and I know about them. It is very important that these irritants are addressed," Rahman said.

When asked whether the issue of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's return from India had come up, Rahman said, "We will discuss all the issues between our two countries in the coming days." Hasina, 78, has been living in India since she fled Dhaka after the collapse of her government in August 2024 during a massive anti-government agitation. Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law.

Trivedi described his talks with the foreign minister as "very good" and said he was looking forward to a relationship "firmly founded on mutual benefit and stronger people-to-people ties". He said cooperation could grow in several areas, including culture, music and cricket, and described the current engagement as only the beginning of deeper cooperation.

India-Bangladesh relations saw a sharp downturn after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took office following Hasina's fall in August 2024. Efforts to improve ties began after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at Tarique Rahman's swearing-in as prime minister in Dhaka on February 17. Rahman took office after his party won a landslide victory in the parliamentary polls, in which Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting. In April, Foreign Minister Rahman visited India in the first high-level visit by a senior member of the new Bangladesh ist Party government after more than 18 months of diplomatic strain.

Trivedi's meeting with Rahman came a day before US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor was scheduled to visit Dhaka. Asked whether Bangladesh's "growing engagement" with China could worry Washington or affect ties with other partners, Rahman rejected that view. "Our relationship with one country is not a zero-sum game in the context of our relationship with another country. We will never strengthen relations with one country at the expense of another," he said. Overall, the meeting underscored Dhaka's review of the India visit invitation while both countries continue efforts to move ties forward and address pending issues.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends