3 months ago
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India continues to stay “careful” successful mounting its expectations connected moving with the incoming medication of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) but the party’s chairman, Tarique Rahman, has a improvement docket that whitethorn supply an accidental to some sides to normalise the relations, The Hindu has learnt from highly placed diplomatic sources who are alert of the plans successful this regard.
The Indian broadside keenly watched the run way of Mr. Rahman and recovered that his 31-point docket has respective areas specified arsenic his plans successful the integer domain and infrastructure gathering that whitethorn assistance ties that had stalled successful the erstwhile 17 months due to the fact that of aggregate factors, including the flight of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India connected August 5, 2024.
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Mr. Rahman, who returned aft much than 1 and fractional decade-long exile successful the United Kingdom connected December 25, 2025, was greeted by a immense assemblage and subsequently the enactment for him and his enactment was seen successful the ceremonial prayers for his mother, the erstwhile Prime Minister Khaleda Zia connected December 31. However, it was his predetermination run that caught attraction successful applicable quarters arsenic helium steered wide from playing immoderate anti-India card. It was noticed that the anti-India paper was not played straight by his opponents Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) but they often referred to the India origin done codes similar ‘pro-hegemony forces’ successful their predetermination speeches. In contrast, Mr. Rahman stuck to his 31-point plans that had committedness to gathering an inclusive ‘Rainbow Nation’, and reiterated the BNP’s absorption to “terrorism, extremism and militancy”.
In his run trail, Mr. Rahman had promised to “boost determination and planetary commercialized and commerce done infrastructural development, method modernisation, and skills enhancement successful all seaports and stream ports.” The Hindu was told these promises are being examined successful Delhi for imaginable areas of cooperation. That apart, some sides volition person issues specified arsenic renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty aboriginal this twelvemonth that are besides being studied.
Under unit
Mr. Rahman is expected to instrumentality complaint arsenic the caller Prime Minister of Bangladesh connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026) and determination is important unit connected him to present connected the overseas argumentation front. Addressing questions from journalists successful the archetypal property enactment connected Saturday (February 14, 2026), Mr. Rahman had indicated that helium volition determine connected planetary practice based connected Bangladesh’s nationalist interest.
In effect to a question connected Bangladesh’s stance connected China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Mr. Rahman said, “We volition effort to support the interests of the radical of Bangladesh. If something is not successful Bangladesh’s interest, people we cannot prosecute it. I americium definite that communal interests volition beryllium our archetypal priority.” While India and Bangladesh person maintained ties during the 17 months of the interim government, the 2 sides person not hosted each other’s apical leaders during this period. The narration and particularly large connectivity projects person truthful taken a deed successful this period. That apart, the 2 sides person experienced stressful phases arsenic witnessed successful December 2025 successful the aftermath of the execution of young Islamist leader Sharif Osman Hadi erstwhile mobs threatened Indian diplomatic missions and visa centres.
According to an estimate, astir 49 agitations were organised successful 17 months that delivered threats to India’s missions successful Bangladesh. One of the main expectations, The Hindu has learned, would beryllium for the caller medication to guarantee information and extortion of India’s diplomatic missions and visa centres truthful that the visa services, that are captious for commercialized and people-to-people ties, tin beryllium normalised by some sides.
The narration nevertheless volition look sizeable strain due to the fact that of governmental activities that erstwhile Prime Minister Hasina and her erstwhile colleagues proceed to transportation retired from Indian cities. While the Awami League of Ms. Hasina continues to stay banned here, Mr. Rahman has spoken against ‘revenge’ authorities and has said the incorrect doings of the erstwhile authorities volition beryllium subjected to a judicial process.
