Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who flew to China in June months after taking workplace, is unlikely to attend the upcoming Brics Summit in New Delhi in September, Dhaka-based newspaper Prothom Alo reported. The event comes amid tensions between India and Bangladesh over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first public address, which occurred final week.
The report got here whilst India’s newly appointed Excessive Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, met PM Rahman for the first time on Monday as a part of a “courtesy name”, in accordance with the Ministry of Exterior Affairs. Additionally on Monday, Analysis and Evaluation Wing (RAW) chief Parag Jain met Bangladesh PM’s Defence Affairs Advisor Brig Gen AKM Shamsul Islam (Retired) in Dhaka.
Rahman in June had flown to Malaysia for his first overseas go to because the PM of Bangladesh. From Kuala Lumpur, Rahman flew to China as the second foreign nation he visited. Rahman additionally met Chinese language President Xi Jinping in Beijing’s Nice Corridor of the Individuals. Whereas Bangladeshi prime ministers have historically carried out a diplomatic balancing act by choosing countries such as India, China or Saudi Arabia for his or her first overseas visits, Rahman selected Malaysia, signalling a center path.
India, for its half, has engaged Rahman bilaterally, inviting him to go to New Delhi through the BNP leaders swearing-in ceremony (for the primary time). New Delhi was represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at Rahman’s inauguration. Nonetheless, the outreach session of the Brics Summit is a gathering of a multilateral grouping, which Rahman is more likely to skip, in accordance with experiences.
India is internet hosting the annual BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. Bangladesh just isn’t a member of the Brics, however has expressed curiosity in becoming a member of the grouping since 2023.
Bangladesh International Minister Khalilur Rahman on Monday mentioned that the Indian and the Bangladeshi sides “briefly mentioned a number of bilateral points”, together with the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and the return of suspects accused of killing Inquilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, through the assembly, Dhaka-based The Each day Star reported.
Bangladeshi every day Prothom Alo, citing a number of senior Bangladesh authorities sources, repoorted that amid “the latest developments”, the opportunity of Rahman attending the Brics outreach session had “successfully disappeared”.
WHY HAS THERE BEEN A FLARE UP IN TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND BANGLADESH?
On August 5, former Bangladesh PM, Sheikh Hasina made her first public tackle in two years at a digital press convention in New Delhi, after the 2024 student-led protests ousted her Awami League authorities and compelled her to seek refuge in India. Through the tackle, Hasina mentioned she deliberate to return to Bangladesh in December, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1971 Liberation Battle.
The Tarique Rahman-led BNP authorities, which took workplace after February’s elections, has repeatedly demanded Hasina’s extradition and urged India to not enable her to make use of its territory for political actions or statements that would destabilise Bangladesh.
Forward of the Delhi occasion, Bangladesh PM’s Data and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman warned native media retailers towards publishing or broadcasting Hasina’s remarks, whereas International Affairs Adviser to the PM, Humayun Kabir, urged India to make sure that Hasina was not given a platform to make political statements.
The August 5 press convention however went forward with out a hitch. Whereas New Delhi has maintained that the occasion was organised by a non-public organisation and that India did not endorse Hasina’s remarks, it triggered a robust response in Dhaka.
Instantly after the tackle, Bangladesh’s International Ministry described the occasion as “an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh”, saying India’s determination to permit Hasina to work together dwell with the media had broken bilateral ties and insulted these killed within the 2024 protests. It additionally accused Hasina of utilizing the platform to direct “venomous vitriol” at Bangladesh and its folks.
Bangladesh House Minister Salahuddin Ahmed subsequently warned that if India permits Hasina to conduct political actions from its soil, New Delhi must rethink its pleasant relations with Dhaka.
“You’ll play the Hasina card and need pleasant relations with Bangladesh; keep in mind, the 2 are opposites. I hope the Indian authorities and the Indian authorities will perceive,” Prothom Alo quoted him as saying.
Including to Dhaka’s frustration, Prothom Alo reported that India had assured Bangladeshi officers earlier than the occasion that solely a recorded assertion by Hasina can be performed and that media entry can be restricted. As an alternative, the August 5 occasion featured a dwell tackle and was attended by journalists from all over the world, together with one from Bangladesh.
Nonetheless, India’s Ministry of Exterior Affairs mentioned that the Government of India had no role in a media interaction that includes Hasina and added that it didn’t endorse the remarks made through the occasion.
HASINA FACTOR TO MAKE TARIQUE RAHMAN SKIP INDIA BRICS SUMMIT?
Earlier this month, India invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the Brics Summit’s outreach session in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The invitation was notably vital for Bangladesh, which presently chairs BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Financial Cooperation) and has sought Brics membership since at the very least 2023.
Past the outreach session, the summit would have given Rahman a possibility to fulfill PM Narendra Modi for the primary time, in addition to maintain discussions with different world leaders, together with Chinese language President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Individually, New Delhi invited Rahman for a bilateral go to following his appointment as Bangladesh’s PM in February. The invites got here as New Delhi and Dhaka stepped up efforts to reset ties strained by Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in 2024 and the next Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime.
Nonetheless, India has been reaching out extensively to the BNP and Tarique Rahman after ties hit a brand new low below the Yunus administration. These efforts, nevertheless, might need hit a roadblock following Hasina’s press convention final week.
Prothom Alo on Sunday, citing a number of senior Bangladesh authorities sources, reported that amid “the latest developments”, the opportunity of Rahman attending the Brics outreach session had “successfully disappeared”.
On Monday, after Indian Excessive Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi’s courtesy assembly with Rahman, Bangladesh’s International Minister Khalilur Rahman mentioned, “The federal government has not but determined whether or not Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12–13… I’m not an astrologer. So, I can not predict on which precise day it should occur.”
Extra regarding for New Delhi is that, regardless of but to go to India since taking workplace, Rahman has already made two overseas journeys — to Malaysia and China.
In the meantime, information company PTI reported on Sunday that Indian Excessive Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi mentioned {that a} assembly between Rahman and PM Narendra Modi might assist ease the present strains in bilateral ties. The Each day Star equally quoted Trivedi as saying on Monday there was no difficulty between India and Bangladesh that would not be resolved by means of dialogue.
Towards this backdrop, if Rahman in the end declines each invites to go to India, it might make New Delhi and Dhaka’s efforts to reset their strained relationship significantly tougher.
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