Khalilur Rahman to visit Delhi, may meet Ajit Doval
National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman will travel to Delhi on 19 November to participate in the conclave of National Security Advisers from the Indo-Pacific region. During the visit, he may hold a meeting with India’s NSA, Ajit Doval.
Invited by Ajit Doval, Khalilur Rahman will attend the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) during his two-day visit, with the conclave scheduled for 20 November. Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka confirmed Rahman’s Delhi visit to Jago News on Friday (14 November).
Ajit Doval formally invited Khalilur Rahman in late October, and the invitation was accepted. It is not yet confirmed whether Rahman will hold a separate meeting with his Indian counterpart. While Bangladeshi diplomatic sources remain cautious, an Indian source indicated that, amid recent political instability, key policymakers from both countries are interested in direct talks, and a short bilateral meeting during the conference may take place.
Since the Interim Government took office under Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, this will be the second adviser-level visit to India. Earlier, in February, Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan traveled to Delhi to participate in “India Energy Week.”
Following the government change in August last year, diplomatic communications gained momentum through a meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the UN General Assembly in New York. This was followed by a foreign secretary-level meeting in Dhaka in December, and in April, Chief Adviser Dr Yunus met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.
Bangladesh and India have also maintained formal contacts through meetings between border force directors, technical sessions of the Joint River Commission, and consular dialogues. However, in May and June this year, Bangladesh’s proposals for consular and commerce secretary-level talks went unanswered by India.
The Colombo Security Conclave, established to enhance security in the Indian Ocean region, includes India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, and Bangladesh as full members, with Seychelles participating as an observer. Bangladesh became a full member in 2024. In August, the conclave’s secretariat was formally set up in Colombo through a memorandum of understanding.
The forum aims to strengthen cooperation among member countries on maritime security, counter-terrorism and extremism, human trafficking and cross-border crime, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and disaster management. While the secretariat is based in Colombo, NSA-level meetings are hosted on a rotating basis among member states.