Bangladesh's 2 Big Demands For Tarique Rahman's India Visit: Sheikh Hasina Extradition And...

Jagran Correspondent: Bangladesh has again linked Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's potential visit to India to the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives, making it unlikely before next month's BRICS summit.

Bangladesh announced on Sunday that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's proposed visit to India is unlikely to proceed unless New Delhi takes action regarding the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives wanted by Dhaka.

According to a statement from the Bangladeshi foreign ministry, the two countries had been discussing the possibility of a bilateral visit by Rahman for several weeks. However, Hasina's public interaction in New Delhi on August 5 disrupted the process.

Bangladesh foreign ministry spokesperson AKM Shahidul Karim said the discussions had been affected by the interaction involving Hasina.

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"We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for the visit," Karim said.

"To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals and to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty. We are awaiting their response."

Karim said the Rahman government would continue to pursue friendly relations with other countries, including its neighbours, based on sovereignty, equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs and mutual benefit under its 'Bangladesh First' policy.

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India had invited PM Tarique Rahman to participate in the BRICS summit as the head of an additional partner country. However, the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Dinesh Trivedi, was told by the Bangladesh government that Rahman would prefer a separate bilateral visit rather than attending the conference. Dhaka is now linking the proposed visit to Hasina's extradition.

Hasina has been living in India since she was ousted from power in August 2024 after a student-led uprising led into a wider anti-government movement. After her government collapsed, she fled to India.

On August 5, 2026, Hasina said at a press conference that she would return to Dhaka in December 2026 and defend democracy in Bangladesh. She also levelled numerous allegations against the Rahman government and the previous interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus. Bangladesh has said that her statements have affected the process surrounding Rahman's proposed visit.

Rahman has already visited China, where he signed several agreements, developments that have reportedly raised concerns in India.

"We reiterate that we will continue to pursue our "Bangladesh First" policy to promote friendly bilateral relations with other countries, including our neighbours, on the basis of sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs and mutual benefit," the statement continued.

India has previously said that its extradition request concerning Hasina remains "under examination".