Published : 06 Oct 2026, 11:24 PM
Updated : 06 Oct 2026, 11:24 PM
Bangladesh and India are preparing to revive a key trade dialogue as 10 officials from Dhaka head to Delhi on Wednesday for talks amid strained bilateral ties.
The 16th meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Working Group on Trade will be held on Oct 8-9, three years after the previous meeting.
The talks come amid uncertainty over Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed New Delhi visit and broader political tensions between the neighbours.
Aysha Akter, additional secretary of the commerce ministry’s FTA wing, will lead the Bangladesh delegation.
According to a ministry order issued Tuesday, the officials are expected to leave Dhaka on Oct 7 and return on Oct 10.
The delegation also includes officials from the ministries of railways, commerce and foreign affairs, the National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Land Port Authority, Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission and Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution.
The talks are expected to cover reducing the trade deficit, removing barriers to imports and exports, and strengthening bilateral trade and economic ties.
The working group usually meets annually. Its 15th meeting was held in Dhaka on Sept 26-27, 2023, while the 14th took place in New Delhi on Mar 2-3, 2022.
Relations cooled after the Awami League government fell amid a mass uprising in August 2024, and the regular trade dialogue was disrupted.
In April 2025, Bangladesh stopped importing Indian yarn through the Benapole, Bhomra, Sonamasjid, Banglabandha and Burimari land ports, while keeping the sea route open.
India later restricted imports of Bangladeshi garments, processed food, plastics and PVC products through land routes. Restrictions on jute and some textile products followed in June.
Previous meetings discussed land-port infrastructure, border haats, rail freight, regional connectivity, product standards and mutual recognition, as well as preparations for a Bangladesh-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Keeping the Petrapole-Benapole checkpoint open around the clock was also discussed.
The latest push comes after Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir met Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi in Dhaka on Aug 24.
They discussed reopening suspended border haats, restoring land ports to full capacity and lifting restrictions on Indian yarn imports.
Indian media have also reported efforts to revive institutional engagement.
Hindustan Times said the two countries were working to arrange meetings on trade and consular matters as part of efforts to normalise ties.
The report said Dhaka wanted a commerce secretaries’ meeting after the trade working group, but India wanted institutional meetings on issues such as transit and border trade to take place first.
A separate consular working group meeting is also being planned in Dhaka, with both sides seeking solutions to several visa-related problems.
