Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman’s planned Delhi visit is called off

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s planned August 23-25 visit to New Delhi has been cancelled, interrupting what was expected to be his first trip to India after taking office.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent Rahman a personal invitation soon after his February 17 swearing-in, delivered by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. A second invitation was sent in early August for Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit’s outreach session in India on September 12 and 13 in his capacity as BIMSTEC chairperson.

The two invitations concern separate engagements. No formal response from Bangladesh on either invitation is described here.

The cancelled Delhi visit had been expected to take place while India and Bangladesh discuss issues including trade, connectivity, water resources, border management and cross-border electricity supply. India currently supplies Bangladesh with 2,500 MW of power from four suppliers, including the Maitree and Rampal plants.

Whether Rahman will attend the September BRICS outreach session remains unclear.