Jaishankar to visit Bangladesh to take part in Khaleda Zia's funeral

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will visit Dhaka on Wednesday to represent the Indian government at the funeral of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Khaleda Zia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday evening. 

Zia’s death, announced on Tuesday morning by her son Tarique Rahman, who as the acting chairperson of the BNP is also her political heir, has come barely six weeks ahead of the general elections in Bangladesh, which are scheduled for February 12. Zia was to contest from three seats. Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh on December 25 after a 17-year exile, was to lead the campaign. 

 

During his visit, Jaishankar is expected to meet the late Bangladeshi leader’s family, especially Rahman, who many observers believe could be his country’s next prime minister. 

India-Bangladesh relations have hit a low since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina and her government. Hasina, who has been handed the death penalty in Bangladesh, is currently living in exile in India. The MEA has repeatedly expressed concerns over the increasing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, particularly on Hindus. 

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sadness over Zia’s death. He said her contributions towards the development of the neighbouring country, as well as India-Bangladesh relations, will always be remembered. “I recall my cordial meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015. We hope that her vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership and light up our path well into the future. May her soul rest in peace,” Modi said on X in Bengali, and posted photographs from his meeting with the departed Bangladeshi leader.

 

Zia was Bangladesh’s prime minister from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006. Her second stint as the prime minister was turbulent for India-Bangladesh ties. Anti-India terrorist groups found a foothold in Bangladesh after her party BNP joined hands with right-wing Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami. New Delhi was relieved when in 2008 Zia’s party lost the elections to Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League, which curbed the activities of anti-India groups in Bangladesh.

 

During Zia's first term as prime minister, India and Bangladesh sparred over sharing of water of the Ganges. In a strategic realignment of Bangladesh's foreign policy, her government adopted a “Look East Policy”, and improved relations with China. Dhaka also got closer to West Asian countries and Islamic Republics. Zia visited India twice as the prime minister, in 1992 and 2006, and once as the Opposition leader in 2012 at the invitation of the Indian government. Her 2006 state visit saw the two neighbours ink agreements on trade and security, and her 2012 visit was aimed at rebuilding BNP’s ties with New Delhi.

 

In later years, while out of power, and with Modi-led government having taken over the reins in New Delhi, Zia recalled how in the aftermath of the razing of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, she immediately clamped down on the elements that tried to incite communal tension in the country, including by blocking the television coverage of the demolition and taking steps to protect the Hindu community.