Tarique Rahman’s first trip to India as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister was supposed to mark a fresh start between the two neighbours. Nearly seven months after he took office, that visit still has not happened, and the delay has underlined just how strained ties between the two South Asian nations remain since the 2024 uprising that removed Sheikh Hasina from power.
A Warm Start That Cooled Quickly
When Rahman was sworn in as Prime Minister in February 2026 following BNP’s landslide win, Delhi moved fast to extend an olive branch. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to Rahman inviting him to visit India, describing hopes of deepening the countries’ shared history and cooperation. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla personally attended Rahman’s swearing-in and delivered Modi’s letter. In April, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister followed up with a three-day New Delhi visit, the first ministerial-level engagement between the two governments since BNP took charge, covering issues from visa services to river water sharing.
For a few months, it looked like the relationship was on track to normalise.
The Hasina Factor
That momentum broke down after August 5, 2026, when Sheikh Hasina, living in exile in India, addressed a virtual press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi. Dhaka reacted sharply, saying the event had disturbed the atmosphere needed for a leader-level visit. India has maintained it had no role in organising the event, but that clarification did little to ease tensions.
Since then, Bangladesh has renewed its demand for Hasina’s extradition, and officials in Dhaka say New Delhi’s response to that request is now central to when, or whether, Rahman’s visit will happen.
“There are no plans of a bilateral visit in the coming months unless India’s outreach goes beyond symbolic measures,” a political source in Dhaka said.
Where Things Stand Now
As of late August, neither government has confirmed a date. Rahman’s press secretary told reporters no decision has been made on the visit, while India’s foreign ministry spokesperson has repeatedly said he has no updates to share. Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi met Rahman in Dhaka on August 10, and has publicly said he remains hopeful the visit will take place soon despite the differences.
“Issues can only be sorted out by meeting, and I am very hopeful,” Trivedi said.
The timing adds another layer of pressure. India is set to host the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, an occasion that many expected could double as the venue for Rahman’s first trip. Instead, reports now suggest Rahman is likely to skip the summit altogether.
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Why the Delay Matters
Rahman is not just Bangladesh’s Prime Minister. As the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and BNP’s political heir, he leads a party that has historically had a more complicated equation with India than Hasina’s Awami League did. A successful early visit was seen as a chance for Rahman to build his own working relationship with Modi and reassure Delhi that Dhaka wanted stability despite the political transition.
Instead, the stalled trip has become a symbol of how difficult it remains for both capitals to move past the fallout of Hasina’s ouster. With extradition demands unresolved and Hasina’s continued presence in India a persistent irritant, the path to a reset between two of South Asia’s closest neighbours looks harder than either side anticipated just months ago.
Summary: Months after taking office, Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman still has not visited India. Sheikh Hasina’s presence in Delhi and an extradition standoff have stalled the trip, with no fresh date in sight even as the BRICS summit nears.
