As relations between India and Bangladesh appeared to be rapidly deteriorating, Bangladesh’s Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed struck a conciliatory tone, signalling an effort to ease tensions and prevent further damage to bilateral ties. Ahmed said that the interim administration in Dhaka has no desire to allow relations with India to sour and is instead actively working to stabilise and strengthen engagement with New Delhi. He emphasised that the head of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, is personally involved in initiatives aimed at repairing and normalising India–Bangladesh relations.
These remarks marked the first clear attempt at reconciliation from the interim administration at a time when protests, diplomatic confrontations, and the suspension of visa and consular services had pushed ties between the two neighbours toward a new low. In the current interim arrangement, Salehuddin Ahmed is effectively functioning as Bangladesh’s finance minister, giving his statements added political and economic significance.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement at the Secretariat, Ahmed underlined that the interim government does not want hostility with India, which he described as a major and important neighbour. He said the administration’s priority is to deepen bilateral cooperation and safeguard economic stability, rather than allow political tensions to spiral further.
Ahmed added that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is personally working behind the scenes to reduce existing frictions and restore normalcy in relations with India. According to Ahmed, the interim government is firmly committed to ensuring that ties with New Delhi do not deteriorate under any circumstances. His comments were reported by the Dhaka-based Bangla daily Desh Rupantor.
Addressing the sharp anti-India rhetoric that has surfaced in some political and public spaces in Bangladesh, Ahmed clarified that such remarks are political in nature and do not reflect the position of the interim administration. He stressed that, regardless of internal political narratives or rhetoric, the Yunus-led interim government remains focused on maintaining stable, pragmatic, and constructive state-to-state relations with India.
On the economic front, Ahmed sought to reassure both domestic and international audiences that ongoing political tensions would not disrupt trade or economic cooperation between the two countries. He confirmed that Bangladesh has decided to import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice from India, describing the decision as a concrete step toward reinforcing economic ties. He also stated that there would be no obstacles to importing essential commodities from India, signalling continuity in trade relations despite diplomatic strains.
The finance adviser further noted that the interim administration would not allow itself to be provoked or influenced by any third-party attempts to damage India–Bangladesh relations. He said the government was handling the situation cautiously and responsibly, with national interests and long-term bilateral stability as its guiding principles.
Ahmed’s comments come against the backdrop of a sharp decline in diplomatic ties following violent anti-India protests in Bangladesh after the assassination of anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was contesting as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency. In the aftermath of his killing, radical protesters and extremist groups targeted Indian diplomatic missions in several Bangladeshi cities, prompting India to temporarily suspend visa services in the country.
Tensions were further exacerbated by protests in India outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi over the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu Bangladeshi factory worker who was killed by a mob over alleged blasphemy. In response, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi suspended consular and visa services until further notice.
Adding to the seriousness of the situation, India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Shashi Tharoor, recently warned about the unfolding crisis in Bangladesh, describing it as India’s most serious strategic challenge in the neighbouring country since the 1971 Liberation War.
Against this tense backdrop, Salehuddin Ahmed’s remarks stand out as an olive branch from Dhaka, signalling that the interim administration is seeking de-escalation, economic continuity, and a gradual return to stable and cooperative relations with India.
