Dhaka-Delhi consular dialogue postponed

Officials in Bangladesh and India have postponed next week’s consular dialogue, after New Delhi requested a deferral saying it was facing time constraints.

A reliable source within the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the development, saying it is highly unlikely that the talks would be held this year.

The dialogue was scheduled to be held on 17-18 November in Dhaka, but New Delhi formally requested for a postponement last week, the source said.

Afterwards, both sides agreed to postpone the talks.

The source said that both sides were taking preparations for joining the dialogue next week, and on 3 November, the Bangladesh government held an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss the agenda for talks.

Bangladeshi officials were considering the following agenda for discussion: border push-ins by Indian security forces, visa processing, repatriation of stranded nationals, release and extradition of suspects and jailed individuals, and legal support for travelers and migrants from both countries, among others.

Bangladesh was also looking to discuss the extradition of fugitive death-row convict Sheikh Hasina from India as well as her close aide and ousted home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA) scheme, and extradition treaty were also in Dhaka’s potential list of agendas.

The consular dialogue was launched in New Delhi in May 2017, and has been held four times till Hasina’s ouster in the July 2024 uprising.

It was aimed at strengthening people to people contacts by having a regular channel of communication on consular, visa and mutual legal assistance cooperation matters between the two countries.