India Holds Meetings With Bangladesh, Nepal PMs Amid Diplomatic Frictions

India’s envoys to Bangladesh and Nepal met the prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries on Monday, in a fresh diplomatic push by New Delhi as ties with both nations face recent strains.

In Dhaka, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The meeting lasted around 30 minutes and came a day after Trivedi met Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman.

The talks came amid a fresh row over former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual media interaction from New Delhi on August 5. Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, despite the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence.

Dhaka strongly objected to the event, saying her remarks hurt public sentiment and could damage efforts to improve ties with India. New Delhi said on August 7 that it had “no involvement whatsoever” in the event and did not endorse her comments about the Bangladesh government.

Rahman has also stressed the need for a “conducive environment” to improve relations with India. Dhaka continues to seek Hasina’s extradition after she was sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 over alleged crimes against humanity.

The upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13 is another key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Rahman as a special guest because Bangladesh is the current chair of BIMSTEC. Dhaka is still reviewing the invitation and has not formally confirmed his attendance.

In Kathmandu, Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava met Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah for about an hour. It was Shah’s first one-to-one meeting with a foreign ambassador since he became prime minister in March.

Shah had earlier avoided individual meetings with foreign envoys and preferred group interactions. His meeting with Srivastava therefore marks a change in that approach. He is also scheduled to meet Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming, followed by US Charge d’Affaires Scott Urbom on Tuesday.

The India meeting also comes after a diplomatic controversy in May and June, when Shah said in Parliament that Nepal had encroached on Indian territory. Kathmandu later clarified that his remarks referred to local no-man’s-land boundary pillar issues and small-scale cross-border farming, not a change in Nepal’s claims over Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura.

Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office said Monday’s talks focused on India-Nepal friendship, mutual interests, development partnerships and cooperation. Shah stressed the need to deepen the historic ties between the two countries.

The near-simultaneous meetings in Dhaka and Kathmandu underline New Delhi’s effort to keep dialogue open with both neighbours while dealing with sensitive political and border issues.