Amid a downturn in bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to attend the state funeral of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on December 31. His presence is being viewed as a diplomatic signal from New Delhi at a sensitive moment, especially as ties between the two neighbours have remained strained since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in a student-led uprising last year.
Khaleda Zia’s passing comes at a politically significant time, just as her son and BNP’s acting chief, Tarique Rahman, has returned to Bangladesh after spending 17 years in exile. His return has reshaped the country’s political landscape ahead of national elections and revived the BNP as a major force. Against this backdrop, India’s decision to send its foreign minister for the funeral is being interpreted as a gesture of engagement with Dhaka, even as relations remain tense under the current political dispensation.
Zia’s tenure as prime minister, spanning 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006, was marked by a foreign policy that often diverged from India’s interests. Unlike the Awami League, which maintained close ties with New Delhi, Zia pursued a more China-centric approach. During her leadership, Bangladesh deepened defence and strategic cooperation with Beijing, a development that caused concern in Indian policy circles. Her second term, in particular, saw China emerge as Dhaka’s principal supplier of military hardware.
India’s unease has only grown in recent months as the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has distanced itself from New Delhi, while Bangladesh appears to be exploring closer engagement with both China and Pakistan. This shift has raised strategic alarms in India, especially given the broader geopolitical contest in South Asia. In this context, New Delhi is closely watching the political trajectory of Tarique Rahman, who is widely viewed as the frontrunner in the upcoming elections.
Rahman has so far struck a cautious tone. In May, he questioned the legitimacy of the interim government taking long-term foreign policy decisions without an electoral mandate. Later, addressing a rally in Dhaka, he sought to project a position of strategic autonomy, stating that Bangladesh would align neither with India nor Pakistan. “Not Dilli, not Pindi — Bangladesh before everything,” he said, signalling a desire to chart an independent foreign policy path.
He has also attempted to distance himself from hardline and extremist political forces, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, which had previously allied with the BNP and had opposed Bangladesh’s liberation in 1971. By criticising such groups and emphasising national interest over ideological alignments, Rahman appears to be positioning himself as a more balanced leader at a time when Bangladesh’s foreign relations are under intense scrutiny.
Against this complex backdrop, Jaishankar’s presence at Khaleda Zia’s funeral carries symbolic weight. It reflects India’s attempt to keep diplomatic channels open with Dhaka, even as the political ground shifts and uncertainties loom over the future of bilateral ties.
