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Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman invited to Brics Summit as chair of Bimstec, says MEA
There is still no official word from the Bangladeshi side on whether Tarique Rahman will attend the BRICS Summit, people familiar with the matter said.
India on Tuesday confirmed that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited to attend the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC grouping, even as it pointed out a separate invitation was extended to him when he assumed office in February.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal provided details on the invitation sent to the Bangladesh PM for the BRICS Summit against the backdrop of a campaign in sections of the Bangladeshi media that the move was a diplomatic slight as the invitation did not refer to him as the prime minister.
“You would be aware that a formal invitation to the Bangladesh Prime Minister to visit India was extended when he assumed office in February 2026,” Jaiswal told a regular media briefing while responding to a question on the matter.
“As far as the BRICS Summit is concerned, India has separately extended an invitation to [Rahman] in his capacity as the current chair of Bimstec to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit which will be held in New Delhi,” he said.
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The invitation for the BRICS Summit was extended in line with the standard practice followed within the grouping for inviting countries for the outreach sessions. “Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner,” Jaiswal said.
There is still no official word from the Bangladeshi side on whether Rahman will attend the BRICS Summit, people familiar with the matter said. Rahman chose Malaysia and China as the destinations for his first foreign trip, breaking with the convention of Bangladesh’s leaders usually travelling to India after assuming office.
Besides Rahman, India has invited the leaders of Bahrain, the chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Burundi, the chair of the African Union, the Philippines, the chair of ASEAN, and Uruguay, the chair of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This is aimed at promoting regional cooperation across multiple sectors in the Bay of Bengal region.
The Sheikh Hasina row
The invitation comes amid strained ties between New Delhi and Dhaka following the ouster of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal on charges including crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July-August 2024. Up to 1,400 people were killed, a United Nations fact-finding report said. Most deaths were caused by gunfire from security forces.
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Prosecutors have accused her of ordering the use of excessive force against protesters -- allegations she has denied and called politically motivated.
Hasina has been hiding in India since fleeing Bangladesh after the protests forced her from office. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus repeatedly sought her extradition. Tarique Rahman took over as Bangladesh's prime minister in February.
MEA on Sheikh Hasina's press conference
Jaiswal also responded to Bangladesh's objection over reports that Hasina would address a press conference from India on Wednesday, August 5. Dhaka has said it conveyed to New Delhi that Hasina should not be allowed to use Indian territory to create instability in Bangladesh.
The MEA said it was not involved in organising it. “The Government of India has no involvement in this. This is being organised by a private media body,” Jaiswal said at the press briefing on Tuesday.
When is the BRICS summit?
The 18th BRICS summit will be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. Leaders are expected to discuss key global issues, including the economic fallout of the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
India is hosting the summit as the current chair of the grouping.
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Who will attend the BRICS summit in India?
Several world leaders are expected to participate in the summit. These include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS expanded in 2024 with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia joined the group in 2025.
India has also invited leaders from several non-BRICS countries to participate in the summit's outreach session.
The expanded bloc represents around 49.5% of the world's population, nearly 40 per cent of global GDP and about 26% of global trade, according to the MEA.
