Dhaka Links Rahman’s India Visit to Hasina Extradition
News Desk
Dhaka: Bangladesh has signalled that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s expected visit to India remains uncertain, with Dhaka insisting that New Delhi take steps towards the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina before the trip can move forward.
Foreign ministry official AKM Shahidul Karim said on Sunday that a “propitious environment” would be necessary for Rahman’s visit, effectively tying the proposed trip to progress on Bangladesh’s extradition request.
“We have urged the Indian authorities to expedite their efforts to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives,” Karim told reporters.
The issue has become a major point of friction between the two neighbours since Hasina fled to India following the 2024 uprising that ended her 15-year rule. She was later convicted in Bangladesh of crimes against humanity and faces the death penalty.
India has acknowledged receiving Dhaka’s extradition request but has said the matter remains under examination.
Speculation about a possible Rahman visit intensified after India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, met the Bangladeshi prime minister last week. Karim confirmed that officials from both countries have recently been discussing the possibility of a visit, but said the process had been complicated by Hasina’s public media appearances.
Rahman, who took office in February, has so far travelled to Malaysia and China rather than India, breaking with the longstanding practice of Bangladeshi leaders making New Delhi their first overseas destination.
Hasina has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December despite the possibility of imprisonment.
Karim said Dhaka’s wider foreign policy under Rahman would follow a “Bangladesh First” approach, placing emphasis on sovereignty and non-interference while maintaining mutually beneficial relations with India and other countries.
The developments underline how Hasina’s presence in India continues to shape diplomatic ties between the two South Asian neighbours, with her extradition emerging as a key test for any potential high-level engagement between Dhaka and New Delhi.
