Bangladesh recalls Indian envoy Mustafizur Rahman in major diplomatic reshuffle

The interim government in Bangladesh has withdrawn its High Commissioner to India, Mustafizur Rahman, effective immediately. This decision came a day after the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pranay Verma, held talks with Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md. Touhid Hossain, to explore ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

New Delhi: The interim government in Bangladesh withdrew its high commissioner to India, Mustafizur Rahman with immediate effect, a day after the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pranay Verma met and discussed ways to promote bilateral relations between two neighbouring countries with the Foreign Affairs Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh, Md. Touhid Hossain.

Apart from India, the Bangladesh government has also recalled its envoys from Australia, Belgium, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United Nations, to Dhaka. 

The diplomats who have been asked to return to Dhaka are — Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative to the United Nations; M Allama Siddiqui, High Commissioner to Australia; Mahbub Hassan Saleh, Ambassador to Belgium; and Rezina Ahmed, Ambassador to Portugal.

The move comes amid strained relations between Dhaka and New Delhi, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina from power in early August. Former prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina had to flee the country in the wake of student-led protests across the country.  Minutes after resigning from the government, she landed in Delhi. 

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office, days after she fled to India, as a caretaker government.

Who is Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh high commissioner to India?

He is a diplomat, appointed as the high commissioner to India in July 2022. Before this posting, he served as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva and the envoy to Switzerland and Singapore. During his tenure in India, he played a crucial role in driving development cooperation and furthering better ties between the two countries. 

A medical graduate from Sir Salimullah Medical College in Dhaka, Rahman has also a degree in Masters of Public International Law from the University of London, UK and a Post-Graduate Diploma from the International Institute of Public Administration (IIAP), France.

He had replaced Muhammad Imran in India in July 2022.