On Wednesday, the day of the funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in Dhaka, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was sent to Bangladesh as a diplomatic overture at a critical point in the bilateral relations. Jaishankar had a quick visit with Zia in which he met her son and political heir, Tarique Rahman, and expressed the regrets of India, but emphasized the legacy of her history in forging a more positive relationship between the two neighbouring nations.
It was the first visit of an Indian minister to Bangladesh since the relations between India and Bangladesh had hit a new low after the interim government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus in August 2024. The visit was perceived by diplomatic observers as one of the attempts made by New Delhi to get in touch with the leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is most likely to be the sole largest party in the general elections scheduled to be held on February 12.
Similar to a number of other regional leaders who visited, Jaishankar also held a meeting with Tarique Rahman, who was the acting chairman of the BNP, at the Parliament complex. Rahman has just come back to Bangladesh following 17 years of self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. Jaishankar posted on social media that he personally delivered a letter by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rahman.
In the letter, Modi made a reference to his meeting with Khaleda Zia in June 2015 in Dhaka and called her a leader of unusual determination and belief, and the first woman prime minister in Bangladesh. Modi observed how she contributed to the development of Bangladesh, and how she helped in the enhancement of the relationships between India and Bangladesh. Although she noted that there was a gap to be filled by her death, Modi was optimistic that her ideal and vision would prevail even under the leadership of Tarique Rahman and guide us to a new era in the bilateral relations.
Jaishankar expressed remorse on behalf of the government and people of India and said that he was confident the future of Bangladesh would be achieved through the values of Khaleda Zia.
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