India reopens tourist visa, but key disputes persist

India resumed tourist visa services for Bangladeshi citizens on Sunday after nearly two years of suspension, as relations between the two neighbours continue to face strain following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in July 2024.

On the first day of accepting applications, large crowds gathered at Indian Visa Application Centres across the country, including in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna.

From early morning, the Indian Visa Application Centre at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka was crowded with applicants waiting in long queues to submit their documents.

The reopening has been widely welcomed by Bangladeshis who had been unable to travel to India for leisure, family visits and other personal reasons during the suspension. Many applicants expressed relief after months of uncertainty, saying the restoration of tourist visa services would help thousands of people with personal, educational, business and medical needs.

The announcement was made by newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi during his visit to the Indian Visa Application Centre at Jamuna Future Park on July 25.

Speaking to journalists, Trivedi said he was pleased to announce the reopening of tourist visa services and expressed hope that the decision would further strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries.

The resumption follows a prolonged suspension that began after the political upheaval in 2024. During that period, Indian diplomatic missions faced security concerns, including attacks on several Indian Visa Application Centres and damage to the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka.

Although India continued to issue a limited number of medical visas on humanitarian grounds, general tourist visas remained suspended until Sunday.

Applicants outside the Dhaka centre welcomed the decision, saying it would ease travel plans that had been delayed for months. Some said they needed to travel to India for interviews, to visit relatives or to continue medical treatment, while others planned onward travel to third countries through Indian diplomatic missions.

Despite the positive development, diplomatic observers believe broader Bangladesh-India relations continue to face significant challenges.

Although ties have shown signs of improvement following the formation of Bangladesh’s new government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman earlier this year, several unresolved issues continue to cast a shadow over bilateral relations.

One of the most pressing issues is the future of the Ganges Water Treaty, signed in 1996, which is set to expire in December this year. Officials from both countries have begun preliminary discussions on the treaty’s future, but no decision has yet been announced on whether it will be renewed in its current form or replaced by a new agree