Rashtrapati Bhavan announces, retracts Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman visit statement

Ties between the two countries, severely strained following the August 2024 ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who sought refuge in India, had been looking up after Rahman took charge of Bangladesh in February this year. But Hasina’s public interaction in New Delhi via an audio link on August 5 — it marked two years of her ouster — angered Dhaka which has been seeking her extradition to Bangladesh where she faces a death sentence. It also cast a shadow over Rahman’s visit to India.

Around 2 pm Friday, Rashtrapati Bhavan, in a press release titled ‘No change of guard ceremony this Saturday’, stated: “The Change of Guard Ceremony at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan will not take place this Saturday (August 22, 2026) due to the full rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.”

Since full dress rehearsals are usually conducted a day ahead of the ceremony, this was considered as a formal announcement of Rahman’s visit. But an hour later, Rashtrapati Bhavan withdrew the press release. Its new statement said, “Press release issued on the subject ‘No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday’, which was issued on August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn.”

The flip-flop led to speculation whether either side had pulled the plug on the visit.

Responding to questions on Rahman’s visit, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “I have nothing to say right now. If I have any update, I will share with you.”

Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Press Secretary AAM Saleh told news agency Reuters, “No decision has yet been made on the visit.” He said Dhaka was waiting for India’s response on the extradition of Hasina and “other fugitive criminals”.

Rashtrapati Bhavan hosts a ceremonial welcome for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries on state visits to India. It takes place in the forecourt, featuring a formal tri-services Guard of Honour, national anthems of India and the country of the visiting dignitary, and introductions by the President and the Prime Minister.

Later, the President also hosts a dinner reception for the visiting leader. It is attended by the visiting delegation and Indian dignitaries, including the Prime Minister and Union Ministers.

At the heart of scheduling Rahman’s visit is Dhaka’s pre-condition that a “propitious environment needs to be created” for it — a reference to the presence of Hasina in India and her public statements on August 5.

Bangladesh wants to get a clear answer on the steps being taken on the issue of Hasina’s extradition. Delhi has not yet responded, and a battle of nerves is being played out amid hectic negotiations to find a “middle ground”.

The Indian side had proposed August 21 as a possible date for a stand-alone bilateral visit by Rahman. It expanded the scope up to August 25, but there has been no finality in scheduling the visit.

The request for Hasina’s extradition was first moved by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in 2024, and has been reiterated by the BNP government which entered office in February this year.

“To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals, and to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty,” the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry had said in a statement last Sunday.

While New Delhi has stated that the extradition request is “being examined”, the Indian side has been emphasising on a forward-looking relationship built on “mutuality of interests and reciprocity”. New Delhi has signalled that it aims to address broader bilateral and security concerns alongside Dhaka’s requests.

Sources said that Delhi and Dhaka are “aware” of the significance of the visit, and both sides have much to benefit from a strong and robust relationship.

“We do not want to jeopardise the relationship over a single issue. So we are working with our Bangladeshi counterparts as we have a range of issues to discuss – from connectivity to energy, water sharing to infrastructure, border management to people-to-people contacts. We are optimistic of a visit soon,” the sources said.

While Delhi wants to host Rahman for a stand-alone bilateral visit, it has also extended an invitation to the Bangladesh PM to attend the BRICS leaders’ summit next month. With BNP’s longest-serving secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, being elected President of Bangladesh, there is a possibility he may attend the BRICS summit in case Rahman cannot make it.