The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government’s decision to set former premier Sheikh Hasina’s extradition as a condition for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to New Delhi has once again highlighted the strains that have characterised bilateral relations in recent months and raised questions about the trip going ahead in the coming weeks. Despite hosting Hasina since she fled Dhaka in August 2024, New Delhi has been keen on a visit by Rahman as it believes only consultations at the highest
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government’s decision to set former premier Sheikh Hasina’s extradition as a condition for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to New Delhi has once again highlighted the strains that have characterised bilateral relations in recent months and raised questions about the trip going ahead in the coming weeks. Despite hosting Hasina since she fled Dhaka in August 2024, New Delhi has been keen on a visit by Rahman as it believes only consultations at the highest levels can help address differences between the two countries. At the same time, the Indian side quietly signalled that Bangladesh should not attach difficult conditions to the visit, such as expediting Hasina’s extradition as the matter is being examined in line with the judicial processes in the bilateral extradition treaty. Dhaka, however, went a step further and also demanded the extradition of other Awami League leaders and the two Bangladeshi nationals arrested in India in connection with last year’s murder of Bangladeshi politician Sharif Osman Hadi. In doing so, some of the more hawkish elements in Bangladesh’s foreign ministry appear to have had their eyes more on growing clamour from the Jamaat-e-Islami and its ally, the National Citizen Party (NCP), for Hasina’s extradition than the need to restore a semblance of normalcy to the relationship with India.
The Indian side has been aware for some time that Rahman was unlikely to take up an invitation to attend the Brics Summit in September, to which he was invited in his capacity as chair of the Bimstec grouping, and shifted the focus to arranging a bilateral visit within a short window available before the Indian leadership focuses on external visits and other key engagements in the coming months. This was also in line with the thinking in New Delhi that this important relationship could not be allowed to stagnate further. However, the latest move by Dhaka will have implications for other aspects of the bilateral relationship. The BNP government is currently grappling with a severe gas shortage that has brought much of the industrial sector to a standstill, as well as electricity shortages that have fuelled growing discontent among people already grappling with the rising of living. If the visit doesn’t go ahead because of the conditions set by the Bangladesh government, the Indian side can hardly be expected to favourably consider Dhaka’s request for additional energy supplies and the easing of trade restrictions. Dhaka’s shortsightedness could also have ramifications for the extension of the Ganga Waters Treaty, which is set to expire in four months.
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