Bangladesh’s interim administration is seeking to ease rising tensions with India, with Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed saying Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is personally engaged in efforts to normalise relations with New Delhi.
Speaking to reporters in Dhaka on Tuesday, Ahmed said the interim government has no desire to let ties with India deteriorate, despite recent diplomatic strains marked by protests, sharp rhetoric and the suspension of visa and consular services by both sides. His comments marked the clearest attempt yet by Dhaka to strike a conciliatory tone amid what many have described as a rapid decline in bilateral relations.
“The current interim government does not want any kind of bitter relationship with a big neighbour like India,” Ahmed said after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement. “Our main objective is to further strengthen bilateral relations and ensure economic stability.”
Ahmed, who is effectively acting as finance minister in the interim setup, stressed that Yunus himself is actively working to reduce tensions and rebuild trust with India. He said the administration is committed to maintaining stable state-to-state relations, regardless of political statements or anti-India rhetoric emerging from other quarters.
Addressing recent criticism of India within Bangladesh, Ahmed said such remarks were political in nature and did not reflect the position of the interim government. He added that Dhaka would not allow third parties to exploit the situation or undermine relations with New Delhi.
As a concrete step toward reinforcing economic ties, Ahmed confirmed that Bangladesh has decided to import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice from India. He described the move as part of broader efforts to safeguard trade and ensure the uninterrupted flow of essential commodities. Bangladeshi media also reported that Dhaka plans to import an additional 50,000 metric tonnes of rice from Pakistan.
The remarks come against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic friction following anti-India protests in Bangladesh after the assassination of anti-India radical leader Osman Hadi. Subsequent attacks on Indian diplomatic missions prompted India to temporarily suspend visa services, while protests in New Delhi over the lynching of a Hindu Bangladeshi worker led Bangladesh’s High Commission to halt consular services.
India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs has since warned that the situation in Bangladesh represents Delhi’s most serious strategic challenge in the country since the 1971 Liberation War.
