UNB, Dhaka

India on Tuesday confirmed that an invitation was extended to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit as the BIMSTEC chair as a separate bilateral invitation has been in place since February this year.

The BRICS Summit will be held in New Delhi in September.

“You would be aware that a formal invitation for a bilateral visit to India was extended to the Bangladesh prime minister upon his assumption of office in February 2026,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a media briefing in New Delhi.

As far as the BRICS Summit is concerned, he said India has separately extended an invitation to the Bangladesh prime minister in his capacity as the current chair of BIMSTEC to attend the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

“The invitation has been extended as per the standard practice being followed in BRICS for the outreach sessions. Other heads of regional groups have also been invited in a similar manner,” said the MEA spokesperson.

Asked about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s planned media engagement in New Delhi on 5 August, the MEA spokesperson said India is not involved in this process.

“The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum,” Jaiswal said when a journalist drew his attention.