Published: 12:07 AM, 22 August 2026
India signals preparations for Tarique visit, then pulls notice
India's presidential palace has withdrawn a notice announcing a rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Bangladesh prime minister amid uncertainty over a possible visit by Tarique Rahman to New Delhi.
The notice, dated Aug 21 and published on the website of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the Indian president, said its regular "Change of Guard" ceremony would not take place on Saturday, Aug 22.
It said the cancellation was "due to the full rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh".
The notice did not name Tarique or say when the ceremonial welcome was scheduled to take place.
But with Dhaka and New Delhi discussing a possible visit by the Bangladesh prime minister, the announcement appeared to provide a clear indication that preparations for a trip were under way.
Rashtrapati Bhavan subsequently removed the notice without giving an explanation.
Indian news agency IANS had also posted an image of the notice on X, while the announcement was published by India's information authorities. Both were later removed.
Neither the Indian government nor Rashtrapati Bhavan has publicly explained why the notice was withdrawn. IANS has also not said why it deleted its post.
bdnews24.com has reached out to the foreign ministry for comment on the development.
The episode comes amid uncertainty over Tarique's possible India visit and strains between Dhaka and Delhi over the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Indian news outlet ThePrint reported earlier that the Hasina extradition issue had complicated efforts to stabilise relations between the two countries and cast doubt over a possible visit by Tarique to New Delhi.
The two governments had been discussing a potential visit in the third week of August or early September, according to the report.
Those talks were continuing, with New Delhi willing to host Tarique and discuss the broader bilateral relations.
Bangladesh has recently pressed India to expedite Hasina's extradition and hand over the suspected killers of Sharif Osman Hadi, saying the steps were necessary to create a "conducive environment" for Tarique's possible visit.
Hasina's virtual press conference in New Delhi on Aug 5 had added to the tensions.
Dhaka had raised concerns with India ahead of the event, arguing that political activities by Hasina from Indian soil could undermine efforts to improve bilateral relations.
Citing a Bangladesh government source, ThePrint said Dhaka wanted a mutually beneficial relationship with India but believed Delhi should prevent Hasina from making public comments that could affect Bangladesh's domestic politics.
