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Bangladesh sets Sheikh Hasina's extradition as condition for PM Tarique Rahman’s India visit
The demand came against the backdrop of reports that India and Bangladesh are exploring the possibility of a bilateral visit by Rahman later this month.
Bangladesh on Sunday set former premier Sheikh Hasina’s extradition as a condition for a visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, with the foreign ministry in Dhaka saying a “propitious environment” should be created for the trip to go ahead.
Foreign ministry spokesperson AKM Shahidul Karim also called on New Delhi to extradite “other fugitive criminals” –– an apparent reference to leaders of Hasina’s Awami League party currently in India –– and to hand over the alleged killers of political leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who were arrested in West Bengal earlier this year.
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The demand came against the backdrop of reports that India and Bangladesh are exploring the possibility of a bilateral visit by Rahman later this month as part of efforts to reset the overall relationship after nearly two years of unprecedented strains.
"Bangladesh-India in touch for several weeks"
Karim, who made a statement on the issue at the foreign ministry, acknowledged that Bangladesh and India have been in touch for “several weeks” on the possibility of a visit by Rahman to New Delhi. His remarks appeared to play down reports that Rahman was certain to travel to India this month.
“However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on August 5 by Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity,” he said.
“We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for this visit,” Karim said. “To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals and to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty.”
“Bangladesh First” policy
The Bangladeshi side is waiting for India’s response on these matters, Karim said. He made it clear the government in Dhaka will continue to follow a “Bangladesh First” policy while pursuing friendly relations with other countries, including neighbours, on the “basis of sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit”.
There was no immediate response from Indian officials to Bangladesh’s demands. The external affairs ministry has said that Bangladesh’s request for Hasina’s extradition is being examined in line with established legal processes. In the case of Hadi’s alleged killers, the external affairs ministry said investigations are ongoing against the two Bangladeshi nationals arrested in West Bengal in March.
Though the Indian government had distanced itself from Hasina’s news conference, Bangladesh expressed outrage at the event being organised on Indian soil, especially as she is a wanted fugitive following her conviction by the International Crimes Tribunal. The tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for ordering the use of lethal force against protesters in 2024.
The Bangladesh government had also raised Hasina’s extradition when Indian high commissioner Dinesh Trivedi met PM Rahman in Dhaka on August 10. Trivedi subsequently travelled to New Delhi to brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the latest developments on August 11.
The two sides are discussing a possible bilateral visit by Rahman before the end of this month as he is expected to skip the Brics Summit being hosted by India in September, to which he was invited in his capacity as the current chairman of the Bimstec grouping. There is a very short window for a bilateral visit as the Indian PM will be occupied with foreign visits and other engagements in the coming months.
If it goes ahead, this will be Rahman’s first visit to India since becoming PM in February, and it will follow his earlier trips to Malaysia and China.
Hasina’s presence in India has emerged as a key irritant in the bilateral relationship, especially as she has continued to make statements from Indian soil, including her announcement about her plans to return home by December.
A visit by Rahman would provide the two sides an opportunity to address differences on important issues such as trade-related restrictions, transit, connectivity, border management, visas and water-sharing.
