Bangladesh has said a “propitious environment” must be created before Prime Minister Tarique Rahman makes his proposed bilateral visit to India, while once again urging New Delhi to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson AKM Shahidul Karim said on Sunday that officials from Dhaka and New Delhi had been in contact for several weeks over the possibility of Rahman’s visit. However, he said recent developments involving Hasina had complicated the process. “We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for the visit,” Karim said.
He added that Bangladesh was also seeking the handover of individuals accused of killing Abu Sayed Hadi, saying Dhaka was awaiting India’s response on that request as well.
Karim said discussions over Rahman’s proposed visit had been “vitiated” by Hasina’s open media interaction on August 5, despite her conviction by a tribunal in Bangladesh on crimes against humanity charges. He said Bangladesh had made its position clear to India and urged authorities in New Delhi to act on Dhaka’s extradition request for Hasina and other fugitives.
Relations between the two neighbours have remained strained since mass protests forced Hasina from power and she fled to India, where she has continued to make political interventions from exile, including public remarks that have drawn sharp objections from Rahman’s government. India has previously acknowledged receiving Dhaka’s extradition request but has not committed to a timeline for its response, calling the matter under examination.
The linkage Dhaka has now drawn between Rahman’s visit and the extradition request suggests bilateral ties are unlikely to fully normalise until the Hasina question is resolved, even as both sides continue engaging on other fronts.
— Daily Archives, World Desk