Defence Adviser holds meeting with Ajit Doval in Delhi

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's Defence Adviser Brigadier General (Retd.) AKM Shamsul Islam has met with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on 15 July in Delhi.

Neither Bangladesh nor India has officially disclosed details about the meeting.

However, the meeting holds special significance due to the recent border situation, regional security, and last month's visit of Bangladesh's Prime Minister to China, according to diplomatic sources and analysts.

On 16 July, the fifth summit of national security chiefs of BIMSTEC (a regional economic and technical cooperation alliance of Bay of Bengal coastal countries) was held in Delhi.

Defence Adviser Shamsul Islam visited India the day before to attend this conference.

He held a private meeting with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in his office in the afternoon on 15 July.

Several Indian media outlets have confirmed the meeting. However, they did not disclose the topics discussed.

According to diplomatic sources, it is the first high-level discussion between Bangladesh and Delhi since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Beijing.

Given the tensions over "push-in" at the border, political statements of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India's context, and the discomfort in overall bilateral relations, the meeting carries diplomatic significance.

Diplomatic analysts believe that besides bilateral relations, the meeting might have covered the border situation, regional security, terrorism control, maritime security, and broader geopolitical scenarios.

Sources indicate that there was open discussion on various issues between Shamsul Islam and Doval.

In the fifth meeting of BIMSTEC members’ national security chiefs held in Delhi, emphasis was placed on topics like combating terrorism, transnational organised crime, cyber security, human trafficking, maritime security, and strengthening intelligence cooperation.

Indian media reported that the day before the summit, Ajit Doval held separate meetings, besides the Bangladeshi representative, with Thailand's National Security Council Chairman Chatchai Bangchuad, Sri Lanka's Secretary of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, and Myanmar’s National Security Adviser Admiral U Tin Aung San.

Among these, meetings with Thai and Sri Lankan representatives were at the delegation level, while discussions with Bangladesh’s Defence Adviser and Myanmar's representative were one-on-one.

An Indian media report by WION mentioned the topics of Doval's discussions with representatives from Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar.

However, it did not disclose the subject matter of his meeting with the Bangladeshi representative.

After the government led by BNP assumed responsibility, this is the second time a high-level representative from Bangladesh has met with India's National Security Adviser.

Earlier, in April, during a visit to Delhi, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman held a meeting with Doval. Prior to that, in November 2025, before the Colombo Security Conclave of national security advisers, Ajit Doval had a meeting with Bangladesh’s then National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman.

Thus, in the past eight months, three top representatives from Bangladesh have met with India's National Security Adviser.

Since the new government took office in February, Dhaka and Delhi expressed positive intent to advance relations. In continuation, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited Delhi in April. At the time, discussions were held about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's potential visit to India.

However, afterward, issues such as the push-in at the border, statements by Sheikh Hasina from India, and several bilateral matters have brought new tensions to the relationship.

Diplomatic observers suggest that despite political tensions, the ongoing meetings between Bangladesh’s top three representatives and India's National Security Advisor in the past eight months indicate both countries’ interest in maintaining open channels for security and strategic communication.

The significance of this communication has grown further in light of the recent China visit, border situation, and realities of regional security.