Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh has stated that India must create an appropriate and conducive environment for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to New Delhi, casting uncertainty over his participation in the upcoming BRICS summit and bilateral discussions. The stance comes amid heightened diplomatic friction following Dhaka’s renewed demands for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been residing in India since her government fell in August 2024.
Speaking on the diplomatic developments, Bangladesh foreign ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim underscored that high-level engagements depend heavily on tangible progress regarding Dhaka’s formal extradition requests. The issue was also raised directly during Rahman’s recent meeting with Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi in Dhaka. While India extended invitations to the Bangladeshi leader for both a bilateral visit and the BRICS outreach session scheduled for September, Bangladesh maintains that bilateral ties have been strained by Hasina’s continued political statements from Indian soil.
Tensions escalated significantly after Hasina held a virtual press briefing in New Delhi earlier this month, declaring her intention to return to Bangladesh to restore democratic governance despite facing a death sentence handed down in absentia by a special tribunal for crimes against humanity. Dhaka voiced strong outrage over the event, describing the former premier as a fugitive and warning that permitting such platforms harms bilateral relations. In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs clarified that it had no involvement in organizing the press interaction and does not endorse the statements made against the interim Bangladeshi administration.
While New Delhi maintains that the formal extradition documentation remains under legal examination in accordance with statutory procedures, Dhaka has insisted that a resolution on fugitive transfers is vital for normalizing high-level diplomacy. With Bangladesh currently holding the chair of the BIMSTEC regional bloc, both capitals continue diplomatic negotiations to navigate the standoff ahead of scheduled multilateral meetings in the autumn.
