Bangladesh Home Minister Skips BIMSTEC Security Meeting in New Delhi

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will not attend the inaugural meeting of home ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in New Delhi. A delegation led by Home Affairs Senior Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury will represent Dhaka at the two-day event, which aims to address regional security, intelligence sharing, and transnational crime.

The absence occurs as relations between India and Bangladesh remain strained following the August 2024 ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Dhaka has requested the extradition of Hasina, who fled to India, but the Government of India maintains that these requests are currently under legal examination.

This diplomatic friction follows a similar incident last month when Prime Minister Tarique Rahman skipped a BRICS summit outreach session in New Delhi, despite receiving an invitation in his capacity as the BIMSTEC chair.