The fifth India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue, scheduled to be held in Dhaka on November 17 and 18, has been postponed.
The postponement comes days after lawyers representing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrote to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi requesting a fresh passport and National Identity Card.
Hasina, who has been living in India since August 2024, has publicly stated her intention to return to the country next month. The BNP government’s response has still been negative while suggesting an extradition due to her death sentence in Bangladesh.
The Yunus-led interim government revoked Hasina’s passport and wrote to Delhi seeking her extradition. The incumbent government is following the Yunus regime’s legacy, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ignoring Narendra Modi’s invitations and stalling bilateral talks on the Ganges Water Treaty, trade facilities, and border security, among others.
The dialogue would have been the first such meeting between the two sides in more than two years. The previous round was held in New Delhi on May 29, 2024, just weeks before Hasina’s government was ousted.
Officials on both sides had expected the talks to address a range of practical issues, including border management, visa procedures, repatriation of detained citizens, and the release of fishermen.
Diplomatic sources indicated that the decision to defer the meeting was linked to growing strains in bilateral ties stemming from Hasina’s presence in India and Dhaka’s repeated demands for her extradition. Bangladesh’s authorities have so far declined to entertain the passport request, describing Hasina as a fugitive facing serious legal cases at home.
No new dates for the dialogue have been announced.