Dhaka declines BRICS invite: ‘It was for BIMSTEC chair, not PM’

Source: Times of India | Original Published At: 2026-09-10 21:27:00 UTC

Key Points

• Bangladesh turned down an invitation for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit's outreach session.
• Dhaka said the invitation was extended to the BIMSTEC chair rather than to the prime minister.
• India said the outreach invitation was addressed to Tarique Rahman in his capacity as current BIMSTEC chair, while a separate bilateral invitation had existed since February.
• Bangladesh's foreign ministry said the prime minister's first visit to India should be bilateral rather than multilateral.
• The decision comes amid strained India-Bangladesh ties over former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's presence in India, extradition requests, water-sharing issues, and Dhaka's closer engagement with China and Pakistan.