Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will skip the inaugural meeting in New Delhi, amid strained ties between Dhaka and Delhi over Sheikh Hasina’s issue.
TBS Report
12 October, 2026, 09:55 pm
Last modified: 12 October, 2026, 10:01 pm
Terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics, radicalisation, human trafficking, illicit financial flows and cyber threats will top the agenda of the first meeting of Bimstec home ministers in New Delhi tomorrow (13 October).
Bangladesh's Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will not attend the meeting. Instead, he has deputed a senior home ministry official to represent the country.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah outlined the meeting's agenda today, saying India was honoured to host the event.
In a post on X, Shah described the meeting as "historic", saying it reflected the commitment of BIMSTEC member countries to building a safer, stronger and more secure region.
The inaugural meeting is expected to review regional security cooperation and explore ways to strengthen coordination in law enforcement, intelligence sharing and efforts to combat terrorism and transnational crime.
Established in 1997, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.