RAW chief Parag Jain meets Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman's defence adviser amid bilateral strains

Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Parag Jain on Monday met Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Defence Affairs Adviser Brig Gen (Retd) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam in Dhaka, as India and Bangladesh navigate renewed strains in their bilateral relationship.

Jain, who also serves as secretary of India’s Special Protection Group (SPG), was accompanied by a four-member Indian delegation during the meeting, according to Daily Star, citing sources in Dhaka.

The delegation included Ashwin Mukund Kotnis, Rahul Negi and Shaibal Roy Chowdhury.

The Indian team arrived in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon from New Delhi. It travelled to Bangladesh through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) for an official visit following an invitation from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).

The visit was described by diplomatic sources as part of the regular engagement between the intelligence establishments of the two neighbouring countries.

“This is a routine visit,” a diplomatic source said.

The source said such exchanges take place periodically, with DGFI delegations travelling to India and RAW officials visiting Bangladesh on a regular basis.

“They share their observations and perspectives on the security situation or other matters,” the source said.

The Indian delegation returned to New Delhi following its meeting in Dhaka.

Indian envoy meets Tarique Rahman

The RAW chief’s visit came on the same day as another high-level India-Bangladesh engagement, with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi calling on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The meeting, which lasted around 30 minutes, took place amid fresh tensions between the two countries following former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual media interaction from New Delhi last week.

The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi said in a post on X that the meeting was aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties and engagement between the two neighbouring countries. Details of the discussions, however, were not immediately made public.

For Trivedi, the meeting marked his first courtesy call on Rahman since taking charge as India’s High Commissioner in Dhaka more than six weeks ago. He holds the diplomatic rank equivalent to that of a Union Minister.

Trivedi, a senior leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is the first politician to be appointed to ... of India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

BRICS invitation amid diplomatic uncertainty

The meeting also comes amid speculation over whether Rahman will travel to New Delhi for the upcoming BRICS summit. India has invited the Bangladesh prime minister to attend the summit, which is scheduled to take place on September 12-13.

The uncertainty over Rahman’s participation comes at a sensitive point in India-Bangladesh relations, which have faced renewed pressure following Hasina’s virtual interaction with the media on August 5.

Speaking from New Delhi, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, despite the possibility of facing imprisonment or a death sentence.

The remarks triggered a strong reaction from Dhaka. The Bangladesh government said the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could undermine ongoing efforts to improve relations with India.

Bangladesh has referred to Hasina as an “absconding, convicted genocider” and has repeatedly sought her extradition from India.

India, however, sought to distance itself from the event. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on August 7 that it had no role in organising the media interaction and did not endorse remarks made at the forum concerning the Bangladesh government.

Indian envoy calls for Modi-Rahman meeting

Against this backdrop, Trivedi on Sunday said a meeting between Rahman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could help address outstanding issues between the two countries.

“When two leaders meet, a lot of problems are solved. I have full confidence [about the problem resolution through the meeting],” said Trivedi on Sunday.

“We all respect Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman a lot. He is a people’s person, and our PM is also a people’s person.”

Trivedi also met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Sunday. Neither side disclosed details of the discussions.

“I can only tell you it was a pre-arranged meeting, and I do not know what they discussed,” said a senior official familiar with the high commissioner’s meeting with the foreign minister.

Hasina extradition remains key issue

Hasina’s presence in India remains one of the most contentious issues between New Delhi and Dhaka.

She was removed from power in August 2024 following violent student-led protests and subsequently fled to India. In November 2025, a special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced her to death in absentia over alleged “crimes against humanity” linked to the crackdown on protesters.

Dhaka has since been pressing New Delhi to extradite the former prime minister so that she can face legal proceedings in Bangladesh.

The latest diplomatic friction comes against the backdrop of efforts to reset India-Bangladesh relations after Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power in February.

Relations had deteriorated during the preceding interim government, with disagreements extending beyond Hasina’s extradition to include border-related issues and Bangladesh’s growing foreign policy engagement with China.

The current Bangladesh government has maintained that Hasina would have to surrender and face the law if she returns to the country.

The latest intelligence-level visit and the meetings involving senior Indian and Bangladeshi officials come at a time when both sides face pressure to manage differences while keeping diplomatic and security channels open.

With inputs from agencies