The fifth round of consular talks between India and Bangladesh will not take place as planned this month, officials say, in the latest sign that the neighbours' bilateral machinery has stalled.

The two countries had been discussing holding the fifth consular dialogue in Dhaka later in November, but a diplomatic source told the United News of Bangladesh on Monday, 9 November, that it is not taking place. An inter-ministerial meeting was held at the foreign ministry in Dhaka on 3 November as part of the preparations, but no new date has been announced.

The consular dialogue mechanism was set up in 2017 to strengthen people-to-people contact through a regular channel on consular, visa and mutual legal assistance matters. The fourth round was held on 29 May 2024 in New Delhi, where the two sides agreed to hold the next round in Dhaka on a mutually convenient date.

What the talks were meant to cover

The dialogue was expected to discuss cross-border issues, border management, streamlining visa processes, repatriating citizens detained in either country, securing the release and repatriation of fishermen, and fostering mutual legal cooperation. Officials say Bangladesh and India have more than 40 bilateral mechanisms covering water, trade, border management and consular issues, but little tangible progress has been made on key areas of cooperation.

Reports in India have linked the postponement to tensions over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was convicted by a tribunal for ordering a crackdown on students and sentenced to death, and who has said she plans to return to Bangladesh in December. Dhaka has sought her extradition, while New Delhi has said the request is under consideration through existing channels.

Ganga treaty weeks from expiry

The stalled dialogue comes as the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty approaches expiry on 12 December 2026. The 30-year treaty, signed by then prime ministers H. D. Deve Gowda of India and Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, governs the sharing of the Ganga's dry-season flow at Farakka, and renewal talks have not produced an agreement.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on 3 November that the Joint Rivers Commission, set up in 1972, remains the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including the Ganga. Asked about renewal of the treaty, he said: "As far as any further development in that regard is concerned, I have no update to share with you."

India has invited Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi, but no dates have been fixed. Bangladeshi diplomatic sources have said they expect an automatic short-term renewal of the treaty after 12 December if no new agreement is reached, although Indian officials have not confirmed such an arrangement.

Bangladesh is also seeking a guarantee clause in any renewed treaty, a demand India has not yet answered. With the expiry date now less than a month away, the absence of both the consular dialogue and a water-sharing deal underlines how little of the bilateral agenda is moving, even as both governments say they want a positive and constructive relationship.