NA Speaker, Indian FM meet on sidelines of Khaleda Zia’s funeral in Dhaka

Dhaka: Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the state funeral of former Bangladesh prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka on Tuesday, marking the first notable high-level contact initiated by the Indian side since the Pakistan-India conflict in May 2025.

According to an official statement, the NA speaker arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day to attend the state funeral and was received by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider.

While signing the condolence book at the Parliament of Bangladesh, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was approached by Dr. Jaishankar, who introduced himself during a brief handshake and said he recognised the Pakistani speaker.

The interaction marks a significant diplomatic contact following the May 2025 tensions.