The Parliamentary Standing Committee under the Ministry of External Affairs will examine the future of bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh amid the current scenario. Following the protests and movements in July-August 2024 that led to the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, the interim government in Bangladesh is now led by Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus. Considering the significant role played by India during Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, the two countries have maintained strong bilateral ties for decades.
According to diplomatic analysts, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government last year, bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India have undergone numerous changes. Consequently, the ongoing bilateral trade between the two countries has also been affected.
It is noteworthy that the parliamentary committee, led by veteran Congress MP and former External Affairs Minister Shashi Tharoor, includes among its members Abhishek Banerjee, the All India General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress and its Leader in the Lok Sabha, as well as Sagarika Ghosh, the party’s Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha.
The general election in Bangladesh is scheduled for February next year. Prior to this, the parliamentary standing committee had decided to examine the future of bilateral relations with Bangladesh, a move considered highly significant by a large segment of political analysts. Given the current political scenario, the political community will closely follow how the committee evaluates the future of bilateral relations between the two countries and what report it subsequently presents to the Indian government.