Aminul Haque, the newly appointed State Minister for Youth and Sports, said on Tuesday that the government is looking to resolve issues with India while maintaining friendly relations with neighbouring countries.

Bangladesh did not participate in the ongoing T20 World Cup after the Yunus-led interim government decided against sending the national team to the global event, citing security concerns.

Many believe the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated since Yunus took charge following the student movement in July 2024 that ousted the previous Awami League government.

Following the recent general election in Bangladesh, which paved the way for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to form the government after winning a majority of seats, all eyes are on them to resolve the recent issues with India, especially after the forgoing the ICC T20 World Cup and being replaced by Scotland.

"After attending the oath-taking ceremony today, I met with the Deputy High Commissioner of India at the Parliament building. I discussed this matter (T20 World Cup issue) with him. 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 discussions because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighboring countries. From sports to all other sectors, we want to build a sincere and cordial relationship," Aminul told reporters at his residence after swearing-in program on Wednesday.

"You know that because of diplomatic complications, we could not play in the World Cup," he said.

"If those issues had been discussed and settled earlier, our team might have participated," he said.

Aminul said that the previous BCB election was questionable, which saw Aminul Islam take over as the board president, and added that he would sit down with the concerned authorities to resolve the issue.

"Regarding the Cricket Board election, I have said before and I still say that it was questionable," said Aminul

"Look, this matter is regulated by the ICC. Within the framework of the law and regulations, whatever needs to be done will be addressed through discussions. After sitting down and reviewing everything properly, I will comment further," he said.

"I cannot change everything in one day. It is not possible. Long-standing practices take time to reform, and I will need your cooperation as well. I want to ensure that sports are not politicized or turned into partisan platforms. Those who truly love sports and the sporting community should be given responsibilities in different sectors," he said.

Aminul added that the government would move to resolve legal cases against former national captain Shakib Al Hasan and ex-skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, opening the door for their return to cricket.

Aminul Haque said the two senior players were facing cases that needed to be settled "at the state level" to allow them to resume their involvement in the sport.

"As for Shakib and Mashrafe, this is a state-level decision. They are legendary cricketers of Bangladesh, and we deeply appreciate their contributions. However, there are cases filed against them, and those will need to be addressed through proper state decisions. We want them to return to Bangladesh as soon as possible," said Aminul.

Both the cricketers were part of previous government and since the downfall of Awami League government, several cases were filed against them.