S Jaishankar to Represent India at Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia’s Last Rites

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the state funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on 31 December, signalling a careful diplomatic outreach as India Bangladesh relations face one of their lowest points in years.

Khaleda Zia, who led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and twice headed the government, dies just as Tarique Rahman, Zia's son and BNP's de facto leader, returns to election-bound Bangladesh after 17 years in exile, reshaping political calculations in Dhaka and New Delhi.

India Bangladesh relations and Jaishankar’s visit for Khaleda Zia’s funeral

Jaishankar's decision to attend the ceremony is viewed in Delhi as a deliberate gesture towards Dhaka, at a time when India Bangladesh relations deteriorate sharply following Sheikh Hasina's removal in a student-led uprising last year, which brings Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to office and creates new uncertainty.

Under Yunus, the interim government keeps India at arm's length, raising concerns in New Delhi that Bangladesh could lean closer to both Pakistan and China, especially as Dhaka reassesses past alignments and recalibrates foreign policy ahead of crucial national elections.

India Bangladesh relations, Tarique Rahman’s stance and foreign policy signals

Tarique Rahman emerges as the frontrunner for the upcoming polls, and Rahman's early statements since preparing for his return attempt to reassure multiple sides, while leaving space for Dhaka to act independently in India Bangladesh relations and wider regional affairs.

In May, Rahman questions whether the interim administration has the legitimacy to make long-term foreign policy commitments without a fresh mandate, then later at a rally in Dhaka, Rahman states, "Not Dilli, not Pindi (Rawalpindi), Bangladesh before everything," stressing that the country will not fall into either India’s or Pakistan's strategic camp.

India-Bangladesh relations, BNP history with China and Pakistan

During Khaleda Zia's first term from 1991 to 1996, and again between 2001 and 2006, Bangladesh distances itself from the Awami League's perceived closeness to Delhi and instead nurtures stronger ties with Beijing, a trend that troubles India Bangladesh relations and shapes regional security debates in South Asia.

Zia's second term sees Dhaka move further towards China, which becomes Bangladesh's main military hardware supplier, deepening defence cooperation and raising red flags in India, as officials worry about strategic encirclement and the longer-term impact on security planning along the eastern flank.

India-Bangladesh relations, Jamaat-e-Islami and Dhaka’s Pakistan tilt

New Delhi also remembers that Dhaka's relationship with Islamabad improves under Khaleda Zia, although that shift is heavily influenced by the BNP's then ally Jamaat-e-Islami, which supports Pakistan during the 1971 war and has a long history of anti-India positions that complicate India Bangladesh relations.

Rahman now openly attacks hardline groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami, criticising their radical politics and reminding supporters of Jamaat's backing for Pakistan in 1971, a stance that offers India some leverage, since the BNP and Jamaat are currently at odds rather than operating as a united front.

India-Bangladesh relations and the 'Bangladesh first’ legacy

Bangladesh's strategic posture under Khaleda Zia and her father Ziaur Rahman is built around the idea that Dhaka's domestic and external policies should not sit under India's shadow, despite New Delhi's key role in the 1971 liberation, a perspective that continues to influence India Bangladesh relations decades later.

Rahman's recent appeal for "Bangladesh first" over both India and Pakistan fits this family legacy, and Jaishankar's presence at Khaleda Zia's funeral seeks to stabilise a tense phase in India Bangladesh relations without challenging Dhaka's desire for greater autonomy in regional decision-making.