Published: 07:10 AM, 12 June 2026
Dhaka–Delhi Dilemma: When Diplomacy and Reality Diverge
Diplomacy is a continuous process. It does not operate on the idea of permanent friendship or permanent hostility. Historically and geographically, India is the closest neighbour Bangladesh has. However, as India has long viewed Bangladesh largely through the lens of the Bangladesh Awami League, the political changes of 2024 and the subsequent emergence of a BNP-led government have therefore created both uncertainty and opportunity in bilateral relations.
Indian foreign policymakers and strategic circles may now be coming to the realization that maintaining relations with only one political party in Bangladesh is neither pragmatic nor beneficial. In recent times, we have seen some diplomatic developments. India welcomed Tarique Rahman in a positive manner. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to congratulate the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government after its landslide victory in Bangladesh’s 13th national elections. He also invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India.
For the first time in history, India has appointed Dinesh Trivedi, a political figure, as its High Commissioner to Bangladesh. Trivedi’s selection has been seen as signalling the political importance India attaches to resetting ties with the BNP government.
These developments should be welcomed. Stable and constructive Bangladesh-India relations are in the interests of both countries.
However, diplomacy is ultimately judged by actions rather than statements. It is here that a troubling contradiction emerges.
According to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has intensified efforts in recent weeks to push people into Bangladesh. Since early June, there have been several such attempts. At least 2,303 people were pushed into Bangladesh between May 2025 and January this year. Among them were 126 Indian nationals and 38 Myanmar nationals.
These are not merely random efforts by the BJP-led Indian government if we look at the bigger picture. In the West Bengal assembly election, one of the BJP’s key promises was to expel illegal Bangladeshi Muslim residents and fence the border within 45 days of coming to power. At first, this was taken as political rhetoric from Amit Shah, the second most powerful man in India.
However, the issue gained further political prominence when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in an interview with ABP News on April 15 that more than 100 people had been pushed back to Bangladesh.
He said, “I pray to God every morning that the situation that existed during Yunus’s time should remain the same, that relations should not improve further.”
In the same interview, when asked whether suspected undocumented individuals of Bangladeshi origin were handed over to Bangladesh through due process, Sarma said that doing so through India’s Ministry of External Affairs was difficult. He said they instead waited until nightfall and pushed them across the border when no border security personnel were present. Asked what “push back” meant, Sarma said, “It means you take them to a convenient place and practically push them.”
Bangladesh rejected India’s claim that Dhaka is delaying the verification and repatriation of suspected illegal Bangladeshi migrants, stating that it has already issued 634 travel permits for verified nationals and confirmed 361 more as Bangladeshi citizens, though their return is delayed due to legal proceedings in India. Dhaka also said many cases sent by India lack proper identifying details, include duplicate names, or are still under review, and requested an updated, complete list along with better consular access to detainees.
This is precisely where the problem lies.
No sovereign state is obligated to accept foreign nationals without verification. Equally, every state has the right to address illegal immigration. However, international law, bilateral agreements and basic humanitarian principles require that such matters be handled through due process. Individuals cannot simply be deposited across a border because their nationality is disputed.
Reports of women, children and elderly people being stranded in no man's land for days create an image that is difficult to reconcile with the democratic values and humanitarian principles India often claims to champion on the global stage.
More importantly, these actions risk undermining the very diplomatic goodwill that New Delhi appears eager to cultivate.
At a time when Bangladesh expects progress on longstanding bilateral issues such as the renewal of the 1996 The Ganges Water Treaty, the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement, trade barriers and border management, the push-in issue sends the opposite signal. Instead of building confidence, it creates suspicion. Instead of strengthening trust, it deepens uncertainty.
If India genuinely seeks a new chapter in relations with Bangladesh, it must demonstrate through policy and practice that it is prepared to engage with Bangladesh as a sovereign partner rather than as a country expected to accept outcomes imposed upon it. Good relations cannot be built on the premise that cooperation must occur solely on one side’s terms.
The message from Dhaka is not that migration issues should be ignored. Rather, it is that they should be resolved lawfully, transparently and humanely. Verification, repatriation and border management are legitimate concerns. But coercion is not diplomacy, and pressure is not partnership.
This raises an important diplomatic question: despite BNP’s landslide electoral mandate in Bangladesh, has New Delhi remained unconvinced about fully engaging with the new political reality in Dhaka? The recent developments suggest that certain quarters in India may still be hesitant to embrace a stable and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh under Mr. Rahman’s leadership. Such reluctance, if it exists, could also complicate key bilateral issues, including the renewal of the The Ganges Water Treaty, which requires trust, political goodwill, and constructive engagement from both sides.
The stakes in the India-Bangladesh relationship are extremely high, neither country can afford to take the relationship lightly or allow politics to undermine long-term interests.
If a country says it wants to mend relations with another country, it must act accordingly. Perhaps it is high time India took this as a reminder.
In diplomacy, words matter but actions speak louder.
Nasir Uddin Shah is Chief Reporter
at The Asian Age.
