Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Bangladesh on Sunday said India needs to create a “propitious environment” for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi, linking the issue to Dhaka’s pending requests for the extradition of deposed premier Sheikh Hasina, according to a media report. The remarks come amid uncertainty over Rahman’s possible visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12 and 13.
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Dhaka’s position was outlined as contacts between the two sides continue over a possible bilateral visit by Rahman. The issue has unfolded against the backdrop of strain in India-Bangladesh ties, centred on Hasina’s extradition, her recent virtual media address from New Delhi, and other pending matters between the two neighbours.
Rahman met Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on August 10. During the meeting, he followed up on formal requests sent to New Delhi for Hasina’s extradition, but there was no clarity on whether he would travel to the Indian capital. “Officials of Bangladesh and India have been in touch with each other for several weeks on the possibility of a bilateral visit by Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr Tarique Rahman to India,” Bangladesh foreign ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim was quoted as saying by the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha news portal.
Karim said the process was adversely affected by a virtual press conference addressed by Hasina in New Delhi on August 5. “We have made our position clear on this matter,” he said. “To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina.”
Relations between the two countries have come under strain after Hasina’s media address, in which she said she was determined to return home in December to put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, despite the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence. Bangladesh reacted sharply, saying the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India. It described Hasina as an “absconding, convicted genocider”. On August 7, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government.
Hasina was ousted in August 2024 after violent student-led protests and fled to India. In November 2025, a special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced her to death in absentia over alleged “crimes against humanity” during the crackdown on protesters. Dhaka has since been seeking her extradition, while New Delhi has said the request is under examination in line with applicable law and established legal procedures. The Bangladesh government has maintained that Hasina will have to surrender and face the law if she returns.
Karim also said on Sunday: “We reiterate that we will continue to pursue our ‘Bangladesh First’ policy to promote friendly bilateral relations with other countries, including our neighbours, on the basis of sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit.” He also repeated Bangladesh’s request to speed up the extradition of the “fugitives” linked to the killing of student leader Osman Hadi.
Hadi, a prominent activist in the student-led movement that ousted Hasina in 2024, was killed in an attack in December 2025, triggering fresh political tensions in Bangladesh. The matter gained importance after three suspects in the case were arrested in India in March and are now in judicial custody in West Bengal. India has agreed to extradite them to Bangladesh after due process. Rahman also raised the issue of Hadi’s alleged killers in his meeting with Trivedi last week.
After that meeting, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said the BRICS invitation had not been extended to the prime minister personally, but was “addressed to the chairperson of BIMSTEC”. Bangladesh currently holds the chairmanship of the seven-member regional group, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. However, the Ministry of External Affairs said on August 14: “We have extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a bilateral visit. We’ve also extended an invitation to the prime minister of Bangladesh for a visit to India for the outreach session of the BRICS Summit.”
These developments come as India and Bangladesh attempt an uneasy reset in ties after Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in February. The relationship had remained strained under the interim government over issues including Hasina’s extradition, the security of Hindu minorities, border matters and Dhaka’s foreign policy tilt towards China.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
