By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Jan 27, 2026

Bangladesh’s foreign policy adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, has delivered an unusually blunt assessment of relations with India, saying bilateral ties are “not at the desired level” following New Delhi’s decision to withdraw families of some Indian diplomats from Dhaka, a move that has stirred diplomatic and strategic unease.

In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, January 21, Hossain said that while Bangladesh–India relations are historically significant and strategically important, recent developments have pushed the relationship below what Dhaka considers acceptable or expected. “The relationship should be good, but the reality is that it is not at the desired level right now,” he said, pointing to a growing trust deficit and lack of mutual understanding between the two neighbours.

The remarks came after India quietly repatriated family members of several diplomats stationed in Bangladesh. Indian officials have framed the move as a precautionary security measure. However, Dhaka has publicly rejected any suggestion of a credible threat environment.

“We have no information indicating specific security risks,” Hossain said, stressing that ensuring the safety of foreign diplomats is a core responsibility of the Bangladeshi state. At the same time, he acknowledged that individual countries are entitled to make sovereign decisions regarding their personnel.

Diplomatic analysts see the episode as more than a routine administrative adjustment. Instead, it is widely viewed as a political signal reflecting accumulated strain in the relationship. Contentious issues—including border management, unresolved water-sharing agreements, trade imbalances, regional power competition, and diverging positions in international forums—have increasingly weighed on bilateral ties.

Hossain’s comments mark a notable departure from Dhaka’s traditionally cautious public messaging on India. By openly stating that relations are falling short of expectations, the interim government appears to be recalibrating its diplomatic tone, signalling frustration with what it perceives as asymmetry in the relationship.

“Relationships do not move forward one-sidedly,” Hossain said, underlining Bangladesh’s demand for mutual respect, equality, and transparency as prerequisites for sustainable cooperation. His statement implicitly challenges India’s long-standing assumption that goodwill rooted in historical ties can offset unresolved structural disputes.

For New Delhi, the withdrawal of diplomats’ families may have been intended as a low-key risk-mitigation step. For Dhaka, however, it has landed as a gesture carrying symbolic weight, reinforcing perceptions of mistrust at a sensitive political juncture.

Diplomatic circles in both capitals now expect intensified behind-the-scenes engagement to prevent further erosion of ties. Whether the current friction evolves into a deeper strategic recalibration—or is contained through renewed high-level dialogue—will depend largely on how both sides respond in the coming weeks.

For now, Hossain’s forthright assessment underscores a reality increasingly difficult to ignore: Bangladesh–India relations, while intact, are under visible strain.