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The Indo-Pacific Wire

   Weekly Edition - November 2025-Week 1 

Bangladesh NSA Khalilur Rahman’s India Visit: Will It Help Ease Frosty Bilateral Relations?

By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, November 20, 2025

Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman arrives in New Delhi on November 19 at the invitation of Indian NSA Ajit Doval, as he joins a meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) the following day. While the visit is officially linked to a regional security forum, it has generated considerable political and diplomatic interest in both countries. A bilateral meeting between Rahman and Doval on the sidelines of the CSC is being widely speculated and, if it takes place, would mark the most substantive high-level engagement between Dhaka and New Delhi in months.

India’s decision to invite Khalilur Rahman has raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles. Since Bangladesh’s interim government, led by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, assumed office following weeks of student-led protests and the subsequent departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to India, New Delhi has noticeably refrained from “full engagement” with the caretaker administration. Indian officials have repeatedly stated that regular bilateral interactions will resume only after an elected government is installed in Dhaka. Until this point, no adviser or secretary of the interim administration had been invited to India, although functional, lower-level contacts continued.

The bilateral relationship has been under significant strain for more than a year. New Delhi has voiced concern over the interim government’s handling of minority rights and rising communal attacks, while Dhaka has formally sought Hasina’s extradition, adding to diplomatic tensions. The relationship was further tested in recent weeks after Hasina gave several interviews to Indian news outlets, prompting Bangladesh’s foreign ministry to summon a senior Indian diplomat and demand that her access to journalists be curtailed.

Despite these strains, certain channels of cooperation remained open. Energy adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan became the first interim government official to travel to India when he attended India Energy Week in February. Long-standing mechanisms on border management, energy cooperation, and transboundary river issues have also continued, albeit with limited political momentum.

The CSC meeting in New Delhi will bring together NSAs and senior security officials from India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius, with Seychelles participating as an observer. Bangladesh became a full member of the grouping in 2024. The platform focuses on coordinated responses to transnational security threats, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, maritime crime, and cyber risks in the Indian Ocean region.

Against this backdrop, Rahman’s presence in New Delhi — and especially the invitation extended by Ajit Doval — has prompted speculation that India may be cautiously adjusting its diplomatic posture. Analysts note that the visit comes at a time when both sides have strong strategic incentives to re-engage, particularly with Bangladesh’s national election expected in the coming months.

The frosty nature of relations was evident even after a brief meeting between Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April. With the caretaker government banning the political activities of the Awami League, India has publicly called for free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections to ensure a peaceful democratic transition in Bangladesh.

Indian strategic analysts believe the upcoming Delhi visit may serve as an opportunity for both nations to quietly assess each other’s positions on the political roadmap in Bangladesh. “Delhi is preparing for the reality that it will ultimately have to work with whichever elected government emerges in Dhaka,” Sukalyan Goswami, a diplomatic commentator told media. “Relations cannot restart overnight after months of silence. Inviting the Bangladeshi NSA signals a gradual return to normal engagement.”

Security analyst Priyojit Debsarkar echoed the sentiment: “When two NSAs meet, especially after a period of diplomatic dormancy, it sends a strong message. This could be the beginning of breaking the ice.”

For now, both governments remain cautious. Whether the visit leads to meaningful diplomatic thawing will depend largely on the political developments in Bangladesh and India’s willingness to recalibrate its outreach to the interim administration. What is clear, however, is that Khalilur Rahman’s Delhi trip marks the first significant high-level contact in months — and could set the tone for the next phase of India–Bangladesh relations.