NDTV reported that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman could visit India in late November or early December and that the trip may hinge on talks over a Ganges water-sharing pact due to expire Dec. 12, 2026. The outlet cited unnamed sources and said neither government had commented on possible visit dates.
The agreement was signed Dec. 12, 1996, for a 30-year term. Article XII permits renewal by mutual consent. Bangladesh’s Joint Rivers Commission says the pact governs sharing at Farakka, with the arrangement applied from January through May each year.
India’s earlier stated position came in a Feb. 13 parliamentary answer. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said discussions with Bangladesh on renewal had not started. The answer also said India had considered input from stakeholders, including West Bengal, while developing its position.
In later remarks reported by UNB, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said Bangladesh wants a new agreement before the deadline and wants to restore a safeguard included in the 1977 accord. He said both sides were using the Joint Rivers Commission channel to advance talks.
Anee has warned that low dry-season flows could hurt farming and fisheries downstream, while heavy monsoon flows could raise the risk of flooding and riverbank erosion, UNB reported.
India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said Sept. 29 that India’s invitation to Rahman remained open and that there was “no need to rush,” bdnews24.com reported.
Rahman is scheduled to visit Japan Oct. 26-29, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam told reporters, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported. EconoTimes previously covered the planned Japan visit. Rahman is due to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Oct. 27.
