State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said today that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visits to India and Japan have yet to be finalised, with the timing depending on his schedule and the progress of discussions with the countries concerned.

“The government is busy, and so is the prime minister,” she told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to ongoing domestic programmes and upcoming constitutional activities.

Asked whether the prime minister would attend the upcoming BRICS summit's outreach session or make a bilateral visit, the state minister said there was still sufficient time to decide.

"A lot can happen in a month," she said.

Shama Obaed said the prime minister was currently occupied with various activities at home, and that none of the proposed visits -- including the one to India -- had yet been finalised.

"If everything fits together, then of course there will be a visit to India, a visit to Japan; all the visits will happen," she said.

Elaborating on the domestic situation, Shama Obaed said Bangladesh's presidential election would be held soon and that the parliament session would resume shortly.

Asked whether a possible visit by the prime minister to India could help ease tensions in bilateral relations, the state minister said direct communication between the heads of the two governments could offer an opportunity to address outstanding issues.

She said public sentiment in Bangladesh must also be taken into account. "We have already said that when a convicted person speaks from Indian soil, the people of Bangladesh will not take it well," she said. "The July incident is still fresh in people's minds; the blood stains have not dried yet. So we must be sensitive from that point of view."

"But anytime the heads of the two countries sit, then of course, many problems can be solved, and that is what we hope," she said.

Asked specifically about the proposed visit to Japan, Shama Obaed said no date had yet been fixed.