PM's Delhi visit stalls over 'Hasina Issue'
Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi meets with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on August 10. Collected photo.
Amid tensions between Dhaka and Delhi over bringing Sheikh Hasina back from India, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's tentative visit to India has become uncertain. Although it was being aired that he would fly to Delhi on a two-day visit in the middle of next week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now says that it is essential to create a "conducive environment" before the visit. One of the key conditions for creating that environment is the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive accused persons residing in India.
At a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (Sunday), the spokesperson and Additional Foreign Secretary for Public Diplomacy, A.K.M. Shahidul Karim, said that communication between officials of the two countries regarding Tarek Rahman's visit to India had been ongoing for several weeks. However, the process was disrupted after Sheikh Hasina's public press conference in New Delhi on August 5.
He said that a suitable and favorable environment needs to be created for the visit. For this purpose, India has been requested to take swift steps for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive accused. Additionally, India has been called upon to hand over the accused in the murder case of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi under the bilateral extradition treaty. Dhaka is awaiting Delhi's response on this matter.
However, just a few days ago, discussions regarding Tarek Rahman's India visit were quite positive. Recently, Indian media reported that Bangladesh's Prime Minister might go to Delhi on a two-day visit in the middle of next week. Officials in Dhaka had also mentioned preparations for the visit last week.
On August 10, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka. It was his first formal meeting with the Prime Minister after taking charge in Dhaka. After the meeting, the Prime Minister's Press Wing said that important bilateral issues between the two countries were discussed. At the same time, Bangladesh expressed hope that India would expedite the extradition process for Sheikh Hasina.
After the meeting, responding to journalists' questions, the Indian High Commissioner also described the discussions as positive. Regarding Tarique Rahman's tentative visit to India, he said that India's invitation had already been extended, and the Indian people and Prime Minister were looking forward to this visit.
Further curiosity arose hours after the meeting. Trivedi, after concluding the meeting in Dhaka, went to Delhi and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This fueled more speculation about Tarique Rahman's possible visit to Delhi. But in the midst of all this, a fresh complication emerged over Sheikh Hasina's online press conference. Since Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in the July 2024 mass uprising, took refuge in India, tensions have persisted in Dhaka-Delhi relations. Dhaka has accused Sheikh Hasina of continuing political activities while in India. Bangladesh has also requested her extradition. However, Delhi's stance so far has been largely diplomatic and restrained.
After the BNP formed government following the February elections, Narendra Modi invited the new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India. He has also been invited to the BRICS summit scheduled for September. Although Bangladesh is not a member of that summit, which is scheduled for September 12 and 13, PM has been invited as a special guest to the outreach session as the Chairperson of BIMSTEC.
However, Dhaka did not fully express satisfaction over this invitation either. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman had said that the invitation was extended to him not as Prime Minister, but as "Chairperson of BIMSTEC."
Later, last week, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in New Delhi clarified that Bangladesh's Prime Minister has been invited to the BRICS summit in addition to the bilateral visit invitation.
Meanwhile, the opposition party has also become vocal in opposing Tarique Rahman's visit to Delhi. Nahid Islam, the convener of the National Citizens' Party (NCP) and the opposition Chief Whip in parliament, said that until the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and the question of how Bangladesh's relations with India will be redefined are resolved, the PM cannot visit India.
Overall, with India's invitation on one hand and Sheikh Hasina's extradition on the other, the tug-of-war between these two issues has thrown Tarique Rahman's potential Delhi visit into uncertainty.
