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Voter Turnout Likely to Exceed 55pc

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  Voter Turnout Likely to Exceed 55pc, Says Touhid Hossain Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has expressed optimism that voter turnout in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, scheduled for 12 February, will exceed 55 percent. He made the remarks on Sunday while responding to journalists’ questions at the closing session of an election-focused training workshop in Dhaka. The two-day programme was organised for members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB) with support from the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI). Asked whether the government could hold the election smoothly amid reports that Awami League leaders based in India were campaigning for a ‘No’ vote in the referendum, Touhid Hossain said many were advocating ‘No’ without fully understanding the issue. He reiterated that the government wants the ‘Yes’ vote to succeed. He said the government has spent more than a year preparing reform proposals through various commissions and i...
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National Security Adviser to Visit New Delhi for Indo-Pacific Security Conference

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National Security Adviser to Visit New Delhi for Indo-Pacific Security Conference

Bangladesh’s interim National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman is scheduled to travel to New Delhi on 19 November to attend a regional meeting of National Security Advisers from the Indo-Pacific.

The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)—a five-nation security forum for Indian Ocean countries—will hold its conference in New Delhi on 20 November. Rahman is visiting India for two days at the invitation of India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who extended the invitation in late October. This year marks the seventh meeting of the CSC for National Security Advisers, with India serving as host.

A senior government official confirmed Rahman’s upcoming visit to Prothom Alo on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Possibility of Bilateral Talks

Bangladeshi diplomatic sources have not confirmed whether a bilateral meeting between Rahman and Doval will take place. However, an Indian source signaled that such a meeting is likely, especially given Bangladesh’s evolving political landscape. With both sides interested in direct engagement between key officials, a short meeting on the sidelines of the 20 November conference is considered probable.

If held, this would be only the second visit by a Bangladeshi government adviser to Delhi since the interim administration led by Professor Muhammad Yunus assumed office in August last year. The first was in February, when Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan attended the India Energy Week.



Recent Diplomatic Engagements

Following the fall of the Awami League government after the student-people's uprising, Bangladesh and India resumed diplomatic outreach:

  • On 5 August last year, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain in New York.

  • A second meeting was held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

  • At Bangladesh’s request, a Foreign Secretary-level meeting took place in Dhaka in December.

  • Earlier this year in April, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a courtesy meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Yunus during the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

Additional engagements have included Director-General-level talks between border forces and technical meetings of the Joint River Commission.

Bangladesh proposed a consular dialogue in May and a Trade Secretary-level meeting in June, though India has yet to respond.

About the Colombo Security Conclave

The CSC is a multilateral regional security platform comprising India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius, and Bangladesh, with Seychelles participating as an observer. Bangladesh became a full member in 2024.

At a meeting in Colombo in August 2024, member states signed a charter and an MoU establishing the forum’s permanent secretariat in Colombo.

The CSC focuses on five priority areas:

  1. Maritime safety and security

  2. Counterterrorism and prevention of violent extremism

  3. Combating human trafficking and transnational organized crime

  4. Cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructure and technology

  5. Humanitarian assistance and disaster response

Designed to bolster regional cooperation, the conclave supports intelligence sharing, joint policy coordination, and capacity building. While the secretariat is based in Sri Lanka, meetings— including those of National Security Advisers—are hosted on a rotating basis among member countries.


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