After Hasina’s Press Talk, Indian Envoy Meets Bangladesh PM: Is a Reset Possible?

India-Bangladesh ties, diplomatic tensions, bilateral relations, New Delhi-Dhaka relations, diplomatic engagement, strained ties, bilateral dialogue, regional relations.

By Pranjal Gupta

New Delhi, August 10: India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, made a courtesy call on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday, amid strained ties between the two countries following remarks by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a press conference in New Delhi. The meeting, which lasted around half an hour, was expected to help strengthen bilateral ties and engagement between the two neighbouring countries, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“High Commissioner of India, Dinesh Trivedi, paid maiden courtesy call to Hon. Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, in Dhaka this morning. The half-an-hour discussion is expected to go a long distance in cementing and advancing ties and engagements,” the High Commission said.

The meeting comes at a time when relations between New Delhi and Dhaka have faced renewed tensions following Hasina’s public remarks from India.

It was not immediately clear what the two discussed in Monday's meeting.

Trivedi’s meeting with Rahman was his first courtesy call with the Prime Minister, more than six weeks after he joined as India’s High Commissioner in Dhaka with the status of a Union Minister. Trivedi, a senior leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, is the first politician to occupy this diplomatic position.

India and Bangladesh seek to ease tensions as officials hold talks amid strained ties and renewed efforts to restore diplomatic engagement between the neighbours.

The meeting came amid speculations that Rahman, who has been invited by India to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi, may skip the event scheduled for September 12-13.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have witnessed strain after Hasina virtually addressed the press on August 5 in New Delhi, where she said she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" by restoring democracy notwithstanding the risk of facing the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence.

Bangladesh expressed outrage over the media interaction, saying the event has hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India. They described Hasina as an "absconding, convicted genocider".

However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs on August 7 said that it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and it does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government.

On Sunday, Trivedi said a meeting between Rahman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could help resolve problems in bilateral ties.

“When two leaders meet, a lot of problems are solved. I have full confidence [about the problem resolution through the meeting]," said Trivedi on Sunday. "We all respect Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman a lot. He is a people's person, and our PM is also a people's person.”

The high commissioner, on Sunday, also met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman. But no side shared details on the issues that were discussed.

“I can only tell you it was a pre-arranged meeting, and I do not know what they discussed,” said a senior official familiar with the high commissioner’s meeting with the foreign minister.

Hasina was ousted in August 2024 following violent student-led protests, following which she fled to India. In November 2025, she was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Bangladesh over alleged "crimes against humanity" during the crackdown on protesters.

Dhaka has since been seeking her extradition from India.

The latest diplomatic strain comes against the backdrop of an uneasy reset in India-Bangladesh ties after Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in February, following a period of strained relations under the interim government over issues that include Hasina's extradition, border-related matters and Dhaka's foreign policy tilt towards China.

The current government in Bangladesh maintains that Hasina shall have to surrender and face the law if she returns.

(With PTI Inputs)