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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's decision to skip the BRICS summit in India was "immature" and damaged Bangladesh's national interest, former premier Sheikh Hasina has said, warning that foreign policy driven by personal reactions or short-term political calculations is inherently counterproductive. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Hasina said Bangladesh's participation at the summit of the influential grouping could have opened up new opportunities for the country's economic and social development, but that chance was lost. The former Bangladesh prime minister said if her presence in New Delhi was the reason behind Rahman's refusal to attend the summit, it was very unfortunate, as relations between two countries cannot be determined by personal considerations or political sensitivities involving one individual. Questioning Rahman's decision, Hasina said that a responsible government should "open doors for the country, not close them." New Delhi had extended an invitation to ...
The BJP on Thursday alleged that the Congress is trying to create "Nepal- and Bangladesh-like anarchy" in the country through its street protests, as Rahul Gandhi is "desperate" to come to power. Showing some video footage of INDIA bloc' Wednesday protest, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the way Rahul, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress workers manhandled the police personnel in Delhi makes the party's intention clear. "The Congress party's strategy is to spread anarchy in India, like Nepal and Bangladesh," he said in a video message. Overlaying a purported video of the Congress protest, Bhandari said, "Congress party workers are seen trying to assault police personnel with kicks and punches. The policeman is performing his duty there, but a Congress worker pushes him and then kicks him." Showing another such video, he claimed police personnel were requesting Rahul Gandhi to hold a peaceful protest as "there is a crowd of thousands" accompanying him. He also alle
India cannot give any deadline for ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's return as her extradition request is under examination through a legal process, Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Saturday. "Nobody can give you a timeframe (over Hasina's return)," Trivedi said at a discussion organised by a private think tank in Dhaka, while responding to questions related to the repeated requests from Dhaka for Hasina's extradition to Bangladesh. Hasina, 79, has been living in India after she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government in August 2024 in the face of a massive anti-government agitation. India's external affairs ministry has maintained that the Bangladesh government's request for extraditing Hasina is being examined in line with established processes. "Again and again, the government of India has replied to this that there is a process, and the process is legal, and it is well structured," Trivedi said on Saturday. He also said .
Bangladesh on Sunday said it wants to "reset" its relationship with India and build a new bilateral engagement based on mutual interests, while describing ties during the tenure of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina as "uncomfortable". The remarks by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir came two days after Bangladesh on Thursday said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would not participate in the BRICS Summit hosted by India as he was not invited to the event, with the invitation instead extended to the BIMSTEC chair. The two-day BRICS Summit concluded on Sunday. India had invited Rahman to attend the summit as chairman of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), while a separate bilateral invitation had been in place since February. Bangladesh wants to "reset" its bilateral relationship with India, Kobir told reporters here. "We want to move towards a new relationship, which should be done through bilateral discussions,
UN General Assembly President and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman offered no word on whether Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would attend the BRICS Summit in India later this week, after New Delhi invited him to join an outreach session of the grouping. India is hosting the annual BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, which is expected to deliberate extensively on a number of pressing global challenges, including the economic consequences of the West Asia crisis. "I'm not here (in a) national capacity, so please forgive me... I will really ask all of you to ask me questions or approach me in my capacity as the President of the General Assembly. If there are bilateral issues, I'm still the Foreign Minister; I'll speak to you separately," Rahman said at a press briefing here on Tuesday. He was responding to a question by PTI on whether the Bangladeshi prime minister would participate in the BRICS summit. Rahman assumed charge as President of the 81st session of
Bangladesh is open to joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, two junior ministers have said, while stressing that any decision would be guided by the country's national interests. Signed in Makkah on August 7, the pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three. "Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade," newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kobir said. In an interview with the Bangla service of state-run BSS on Friday, Kobir said the government was pursuing a "Bangladesh First" policy and a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core, which might lead Dhaka to join the ..
Businesses from India and the US have expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh and made proposals to improve the country's investment climate, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir has said. Muktadir's remarks on Saturday came after attending a meeting at the Sylhet Metropolitan Police headquarters. He also said that some Indian businesspeople who recently visited Bangladesh have already invested in the country, the state-run BSS news agency reported. The commerce minister's remarks came days after a 14-member Confederation of Indian Industry delegation visited Bangladesh from August 17 to 19 to explore opportunities for expanding bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation. He said that Indian businesspeople have expressed interest in making the land ports between Bangladesh and India fully operational. "They have said that the closure or limited operation of land ports increases the cost of raw materials for Indian businesses," he said. Indian business ...
Bangladesh is open to joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, two junior ministers have said, while stressing that any decision would be guided by the country's national interests. Signed in Makkah on August 7, the pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three. "Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade," newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kobir said. In an interview with the Bangla service of state-run BSS on Friday, Kobir said the government was pursuing a "Bangladesh First" policy and a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core, which might lead Dhaka to join the ..
A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique on Friday announcing the cancellation of Saturday's Change of Guard ceremony to accommodate the full rehearsal of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ceremonial welcome was withdrawn, adding a fresh layer of confusion to the status of the high-profile visit. The withdrawal highlighted the ongoing diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Dhaka ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit on September 12-13. Relations have been strained over Bangladesh's recent demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. A fresh communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said "press release issued on the subject 'No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday', which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn." This communique came an hour after the President's house had announced that it was cancelling the weekly ceremony for the full rehearsal of the welcome planned for the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister. "The Change of Guard Ceremony at the ...