Bangladesh says PM Tarique Rahman will not visit India until Sheikh Hasina is extradited

Bangladesh said on 16 August that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would not visit India until New Delhi extradited Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi former leader who fled after an uprising in the country in 2024, news agency AFP reported.

Bangladesh Foreign ministry official AKM Shahidul Karim played down media speculation about a possible trip by Rahman to India next week. "We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for the visit," Karim told reporters on Sunday.

"To this end, we have urged the Indian authorities to expedite their efforts to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives."

The proposed visit was being considered, as both sides have been keen to arrange a bilateral engagement, while scheduling issues had so far remained a hurdle, according to earlier reports in Bangladesh media. But there was no confirmation of the visit by the Indian side.

The reports of Rahman's first India visit came after Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi held a one-to-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on August 11, a day after the High Commissioner met Rahman in Dhaka.

Hasina faces death penalty in Bangladesh

The two neighboring nations have had a strained relationship since deadly anti-government protests brought down Hasina's government and prompted her to escape to neighbouring India, where she remains currently.

Hasina faces the death penalty in Bangladesh after being convicted of crimes against humanity, and Dhaka has repeatedly requested her extradition.

Ties strained further following Sheikh Hasina's public remarks in New Delhi earlier this month.

On August 5, Hasina appeared in a audio-only address organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi to mark the second anniversary of her ouster following the 2024 student-led uprising, an event that drew strong objections from Dhaka.

India had sidelined itself from Hasina's engagement, stating that the government has no involvement in the event related to Hasina in the national capital.

Officials from Bangladesh and India have been in contact in recent weeks about the possibility of a visit by Rahman, Karim said. “But the process has been vitiated by Sheikh Hasina's open media interactions, despite her being a convict in crimes against humanity,” he said.

Bangladesh's extradition request

Earlier this week, Bangladesh expressed ‘hope’ that India will expedite the extradition process of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in 2024, during a meeting between Trivedi and Rahman.

Rahman took office in February and has since visited Malaysia and China, departing from the tradition of Bangladeshi leaders heading to India for their first overseas trip.

Karim also said the government would pursue a "Bangladesh First" foreign policy rooted in sovereignty and non-interference while seeking mutually beneficial ties with India and other countries.

Hasina was acccused by critics of growing increasingly autocratic during her 15-year rule, vowed this month that she would return to Bangladesh in December even if it meant imprisonment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited his Bangladesh counterpart to join the outreach of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in his capacity as the current chair of the BIMSTEC, as India is hosting the event on September 12-13.

Earlier, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that two separate invitations have been extended to PM Rahman to visit India - one for a bilateral trip and another to participate in the outreach session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September.

India-Bangladesh Ties

Relations between India and Bangladesh took a major downturn after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.

The two sides initiated efforts to stabilise relations after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at Rahman's inauguration as prime minister in Dhaka on 17 February.

In April, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited India as part of efforts to repair the strained bilateral ties following more than 18 months of heightened diplomatic tension.

However, the row over Hasina's extradition, especially after her appearance during a virtual media interaction in Delhi on 5 August, has seemingly further strained ties between the two nations.

(With AFP inputs)