New Delhi: A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique Friday announcing the cancellation of Saturday’s Change of Guard ceremony to accommodate the full rehearsal of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s ceremonial welcome was withdrawn, adding a fresh layer of confusion to the status of the high-profile visit.
The withdrawal highlighted the ongoing diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Dhaka ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit September 12-13. Relations have been strained over Bangladesh’s recent demand for the extradition of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
A fresh communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said “press release issued on the subject ‘No Change of Guard Ceremony this Saturday’, which was issued August 21, 2026, stands withdrawn.”
This communique came an hour after the President’s house had announced that it was cancelling the weekly ceremony for the full rehearsal of the welcome planned for the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister.
“The Change of Guard Ceremony at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan will not take place this Saturday (August 22, 2026) due to the full rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” the withdrawn communique read.
The development led to further diplomatic uncertainty surrounding Rahman’s proposed visit to New Delhi for the upcoming BRICS summit following recent tensions between the two neighbours over Dhaka’s demand for Hasina’s extradition.
On Tuesday, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi sought to ease bilateral friction during a reception in Dhaka for Bangladeshi business leaders and a visiting Indian delegation during which he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi desired to make Rahman’s trip “memorable”.
“Prime Minister Modi just mentioned one thing. We need to meet,” Trivedi had said.
However, signals emerging from the diplomatic corridors of Dhaka remained cautious and during an interview with the state-run BSS news agency published Thursday, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir stated that the likelihood of Rahman’s summit visit “remained slim” unless an atmosphere built on “mutual trust” and a “dignified invitation” from New Delhi were available.
PTI