Bangladesh-India consular dialogue postponed again

The Bangladesh-India consular dialogue has been postponed again, with Dhaka proposing to reschedule it for the end of November.

Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi spokesperson in Saidur Rahman confirmed the development to bdnews24.com amid reports of the postponement.

He said the consular dialogue, scheduled to be held in Dhaka at the end of October, was postponed following discussions between the two countries. India subsequently proposed Nov 17 and 18 as the new dates for the meeting in a diplomatic note sent at the end of October.

“However, considering a time convenient for Bangladesh, we have proposed rescheduling the meeting for the end of this month. A diplomatic note requesting the rescheduling was sent to India last week,” Saidur said.

The postponement came to light after ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, through a lawyer, requested the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi to facilitate her obtaining a national identity card (NID) and passport.

High commission spokesman Saidur said the postponement had “absolutely no connection” with Hasina’s request for a passport.

He said the diplomatic note proposing the rescheduling had been sent to India before the high commission received the letter concerning Hasina’s request.

The consular dialogue is one of more than 40 bilateral dialogue platforms between Bangladesh and India.

Launched in 2017, the consular dialogue has been held four times so far. The fourth and most recent round took place in New Delhi in May 2024.

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