Bangladesh has shown willingness to improve relations with India after the issues that emerged during the T20 World Cup 2026. The country’s new Minister of State for Youth and Sports Aminul Haq said the government wants to resolve the problems of the tournament and maintain friendly relations with India.
Bangladesh did not take part in the T20 World Cup 2026 after the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government decided not to send a national cricket team citing security concerns. Relations between Bangladesh and India have deteriorated since Yunus came to power in July 2024 following a student movement.
We want to maintain friendly relations – Bangladesh has extended a friendly hand towards India
Former Bangladesh national football team captain and goalkeeper Aminul Haq has taken charge following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) landslide victory in the recent state elections.
After the oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday, 17 February, Haq met India’s Deputy High Commissioner at Parliament House. He said that the aim is to build honest and cordial relations with India in sports and other fields also.
“After attending the swearing-in ceremony today, I met the Deputy High Commissioner of India at the Parliament House. I discussed this matter (T20 World Cup issue) with him,” Aminul said after his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. cricbuzz.
“He was very friendly, and I also spoke to him in a friendly manner. I told him that we want to resolve this issue quickly through discussion because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighboring countries. From sports to all other fields, we want to have an honest and cordial relationship.”
We could not play in the World Cup due to diplomatic issues – Aminul Haq
The International Cricket Council did not accept Bangladesh’s explanation for security concerns and subsequently gave their place to Scotland. There were concerns that Bangladesh was moving closer to Pakistan under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Aminul Haq acknowledged that diplomatic issues played an important role. He said that Bangladesh could not participate in the World Cup because of those complications and said that earlier discussions could have allowed the team to participate.
“You know we could not play the World Cup because of diplomatic complications,” Aminul said. “If those issues had been discussed and resolved earlier, perhaps our team would have participated.”
Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza are great cricketers – Aminul Haq
Aminul Haq said the government would work towards resolving the legal matters involving former Bangladesh captains Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza. He said matters should be dealt with at the state level before any participation in sports can be resumed.
Aminul said, “As far as Shakib and Mashrafe are concerned, this is a state-level decision. They are great cricketers of Bangladesh and we deeply appreciate their contributions. However, there are cases registered against them, and they will need to be addressed through appropriate state decisions. We want them to return to Bangladesh as soon as possible.”
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