Amid simmering tensions, the India-Bangladesh consular dialogue was postponed

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Days after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked Dhaka for a new passport and identity card, the fifth India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue scheduled for November 17-18 has been postponed, a diplomatic source confirmed.

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The source said the postponement of the dialogue was mainly due to rising tensions in bilateral relations caused by Ms Hasina’s announcement that she would return to Bangladesh next month.

The planned consular dialogue would be the first such meeting between the two sides in more than two years. The last such dialogue was held in New Delhi on 29 May 2024, just over two months before the fall of Hasina’s government in a youth-led uprising in Dhaka.

Visa issues on the agenda

The consular dialogue was to be held in Dhaka at the level of the directors general of the foreign ministries of both countries. The planned agenda included issues of border management, visa procedures and repatriation of citizens detained on both sides. The number of Indian visas issued fell drastically when tensions erupted in August 2024. According to sources, India has gradually increased the number of visas issued to Bangladeshi travelers in recent months, especially after the election of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in February this year.

The two countries started a consular dialogue in 2017 to “enhance people-to-people contacts by having a regular channel of communication on consular, visa and mutual legal assistance matters between India and Bangladesh”. Four rounds of consular dialogues were held during the Awami League rule in Dhaka. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the fourth round held in May 2024 discussed issues such as “visa matters, repatriation, mutual legal assistance treaty cases, etc.

Hasina effect

Attempts to normalize India-Bangladesh relations have been hampered in recent months by the presence of Ms. Hasina in India, where she took refuge on August 5, 2024. On November 9 this year, a London law firm representing Ms. Hasina wrote to the High Commission of Bangladesh in New Delhi requesting a new passport and identity card. “In view of the reported revocation of her existing Bangladeshi passport and identity card (NID) by the interim government and other authorities, I respectfully request you to take the necessary steps to issue a new Bangladeshi passport and identity card to our client,” read the letter sent by Matrix Chambers law firm.

However, Bangladesh’s Acting Foreign Minister Humayun Kabir responded to the development by telling reporters that Bangladesh would not issue a passport to Ms. Hasina. Instead, he said, Dhaka would seek Ms Hasina’s extradition as part of an “acceptable prisoner exchange”, adding that such a handover would have to be done carefully and under proper supervision.

Published – 12 Nov 2026 22:13 IST