Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar not interested in meeting Chief Advisor

Special Correspondent

Dhaka, December 31, 2025 – Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Dhaka today on a short visit to attend the funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. During this visit, he met BNP Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman and leaders of the party’s standing committee, but Jaishankar did not agree to meet the interim government’s chief advisor Muhammad Yunus.

According to various sources, the Principal Advisor’s press wing had sought time from Jaishankar to meet the Principal Advisor in Yamuna. But the Indian External Affairs Minister did not respond to that proposal.

However, after meeting Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar, Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul and National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman exchanged greetings. In addition, the National Security Advisor invited Jaishankar to the Jamuna.

During the 17 month rule of the interim government, Jaishankar was the only foreign guest to visit Bangladesh and not meet the chief advisor Dr. Yunus.

During Jaishankar’s four-hour visit, he only expressed condolences with Khaleda Zia’s family and the BNP leadership and handed over a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tarique Rahman.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, responding to the invitation of the Press Wing, reached Jamuna and met with the Chief Advisor. In addition to the Pakistani High Commissioner and the traveling companions of the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Lamia Morshed and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam were present at the meeting.

Jaishankar met Tarique Rahman soon after arriving in Dhaka and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the government and people of India on the death of Khaleda Zia. He recalled Khaleda Zia’s contribution to democracy and expressed hope for strengthening bilateral relations in the future.

Meanwhile, the failure to meet with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has sparked various discussions in diplomatic circles. There has been some tension between India and Bangladesh since the fall of Sheikh Hasina. Many see Jaishankar’s visit as a sign of India’s closeness to the BNP, although Indian officials have described it as a visit of condolence.

Khaleda Zia’s funeral was attended by lakhs of people and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan was also present among the foreign guests. Jaishankar also paid a courtesy call on him. Although the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh described the visit as a symbol of continuity in the relations between the two countries, questions have been raised about the lack of a meeting with the Chief Advisor. Discussions are underway on the direction of bilateral relations in the coming days.