Bangladesh urges faster extradition of Hasina as Indian envoy meets PM Tarique

“Bangladesh hopes that India will expedite the process of extraditing Sheikh Hasina,” said the readout issued in Bengali

Updated on: Aug 10, 2026, 19:22:30 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, New Delhi

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Bangladesh on Monday called on India to speed up the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina and to create an environment conducive to advancing bilateral ties as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi in Dhaka to take stock of relations.

Trivedi left for New Delhi shortly after his meeting with the Bangladesh PM. (Bangladesh PM office/ANI)

Dhaka reiterated its request for extraditing Hasina five days after the former PM held a virtual news conference in New Delhi to talk about her plans to return to Bangladesh in December.

Hasina has lived in self-exile in India since she fled Bangladesh in August 2024 and her presence in the country remains a key irritant in bilateral relations.

Trivedi paid a “courtesy call” on Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka and “important bilateral issues” were discussed at the meeting, according to a readout from the Bangladesh government.

This was the first meeting between the PM and Trivedi, a political appointee sent to Dhaka about two months ago.

“Bangladesh hopes that India will expedite the process of extraditing Sheikh Hasina,” said the readout issued in Bengali.

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Tarique Rahman “emphasised the need to create a conducive environment to further advance relations between the two countries”, the readout said.

Foreign minister Khalilur Rahman, who attended the meeting with the Prime Minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, Humaiun Kobir, later told reporters that the issue of the “extradition of the convicted fugitive Sheikh Hasina came up and we told them to expedite the extradition”.

He added, “We hope that India will respond positively on this issue.”

Khalilur Rahman contended that the Indian side has understood Bangladesh’s position on Hasina. “Sheikh Hasina is a convicted person,” he said, noting that her news conference in New Delhi on August 5 undermined the judiciary, one of the pillars of the state of Bangladesh.

“And the government of India allowed her to do that,” he said. “We hope they will not do anything in the future that undermines any of the pillars of our state. That is our expectation.”

Khalilur Rahman further said the Bangladesh government is yet to take a call on the two invitations extended by India to the PM for a bilateral visit and to attend the BRICS Summit in September.

Dhaka also reiterated its request for handing over two Bangladeshi nationals arrested in India on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Bangladeshi politician Sharif Osman Hadi.

“The suspected killers of Hadi have been caught. We have provided all the documents that were sought by India…This is a very sensitive issue for us and we said these suspected killers should be extradited to us as quickly as possible,” Khalilur Rahman said, speaking in Bengali.

The two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in West Bengal in March for alleged involvement in the killing of radical leader Hadi, who was shot by gunmen in Dhaka last December and subsequently died while being treated in Singapore.

The attack sparked violent protests across Bangladesh that assumed anti-India overtones because of unsubstantiated reports of an Indian link to Hadi’s killing.

Trivedi separately told the media that all issues between India and Bangladesh can be addressed through talks. “I can confidently say that there are no issues that we can’t sit down together and resolve,” he said. “We are both vibrant democracies and the people of both countries want good relations – that is natural.”

Trivedi said he had “very good discussions” with Tarique Rahman and both sides are “looking forward”. He noted that there is a standing invitation for Tarique Rahman to visit India and a meeting between the two PMs will help take forward the relationship.

“You can’t change history or our neighbourhood. We don’t only share the border, we share dreams and I believe the future will be good. We have to sort out the issues and I am very confident,” Trivedi said.

Trivedi left for New Delhi shortly after his meeting with the Bangladesh PM.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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