Tarique Rahman’s BRICS Dilemma: Why Bangladesh PM Is Yet To Confirm India Visit

India is preparing to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, marking its fourth presidency of the grouping. The official theme for India’s chairship is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a focus on organised outreach sessions.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has also been invited to attend the summit’s outreach session in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC. His participation, however, remains unconfirmed.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has sought to draw a distinction between the invitation to the summit and a separate invitation for Rahman to visit India.

“First of all, I am not a fortune-teller. Secondly, the prime minister was not invited to BRICS. He was invited as the chair of BIMSTEC,” he said, as NDTV reported.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a letter to Rahman when the new government was formed. “There is an invitation,” he said.

Asked whether the proposed India visit was discussed during the meeting between Rahman and Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on Monday, the foreign minister said, “We have not yet taken any decision on this.”

The Ministry of External Affairs, meanwhile, said a formal invitation to Rahman to visit India had been extended when he assumed office in February 2026. Separately, India invited him to the BRICS outreach session as BIMSTEC chair, describing it as standard practice for regional-group leaders.

Why The Visit Matters?

Rahman’s uncertainty over the visit comes at a delicate stage in India-Bangladesh relations. The Bangladesh prime minister chose Malaysia and China for his first official overseas trip after taking office, bypassing neighbouring India.

The choice drew attention in New Delhi, particularly after joint statements during the visits included announcements concerning the Teesta Plan and Mongla Port. Dhaka, meanwhile, is understood to prefer dealing with New Delhi through direct bilateral channels rather than wider multilateral platforms such as BRICS.

The political backdrop has also become more complicated following former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s continued presence in India.

On Monday, Bangladesh again raised the issue of Hasina’s extradition during Trivedi’s meeting with Rahman. Dhaka said it hoped India would “expedite” the process. Bangladesh also sought the extradition of individuals it says are connected to the killing of youth leader Osman Hadi in December 2025 and who are believed to have fled to India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said he was “somewhat reassured” by the conversation between Rahman and the Indian envoy.

Shared Concerns

India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-kilometre international boundary across West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, making sustained engagement between the two neighbours unavoidable.

The Ganga Water Treaty is another issue pressing the bilateral relationship. Signed in 1996 for 30 years, the agreement on sharing Ganga waters at Farakka during the lean season is due to expire in December 2026.

The treaty has long linked water management with wider concerns in Bangladesh, including irrigation, fisheries, navigation, salinity and ecology, while India has its own interests around the Hooghly-Kolkata port system.

With the treaty’s expiry approaching, its renewal is likely to require sustained negotiations between both sides.

India Seeks To Keep Channels Open

Against this backdrop, Trivedi has held a series of meetings in Dhaka, including with Rahman, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, his deputy Shama Obaed Islam, prime ministerial adviser Humayun Kabir and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

Describing his meeting with Rahman as positive, constructive and forward-looking, Trivedi said both countries had issues but that the larger objective was good relations.

“We had a good discussion. We have issues, and so does Bangladesh. But there is only one people's issue: good relations. There is no issue on which we cannot sit down and find a solution,” he said.

Before leaving for New Delhi, Trivedi underlined the geographical reality binding the two countries.

“Whatever is there in our history, it cannot be changed. We cannot change our neighbourhood. I always say, we don't share the border, we share dreams,” he added as per NDTV.

Rahman’s Dilemma

The uncertainty over Rahman’s participation comes amid domestic political pressures in Bangladesh and a period of cautious diplomatic engagement with India. While some anti-India groups could oppose a high-profile visit to New Delhi, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh has indicated an interest in positive relations with India.

At the same time, the diplomatic relationship has several issues requiring direct engagement, from the Ganga treaty and border management to the question of Hasina’s extradition.

For India, Rahman’s participation in the BRICS outreach session would provide another opportunity for engagement. For Bnagladesh, the decision comes as it weighs its domestic political considerations against the practical demands of managing relations with its largest neighbouring country.

For now, Bangladesh has not taken a decision on whether Rahman will travel to New Delhi for the summit.