Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim confirmed on Sunday that officials from Bangladesh and India have been engaged in active coummunication for several weeks about a possible bilateral visit to New Delhi by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Although talks on the visit, which would be Rahman’s first to India since he assumed office in February, are continuing, Dhaka has stressed that no definite dates have been fixed, owing to recent diplomatic tensions arising from an open press appearance by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on 5 August.
“Officials of Bangladesh and India have been in touch with each other for several weeks on the possibility of a bilateral visit by Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman to India. However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on the 5th of August by Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity. We have made our position clear on this matter”, Karim told the reporters.
Dhaka has formally called on Indian authorities to act on pending extradition requests concerning Sheikh Hasina, who was convicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, and to hand over those accused in the murder of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi under the bilateral extradition treaty.
The Foreign Ministry observed that discussions surrounding the visit were affected by Sheikh Hasina’s virtual interaction, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia on the second anniversary of her 2024 ouster. New Delhi clarified that the press event was hosted by a private media organisation and carried no government endorsement or involvement.
Reaffirming Dhaka’s foreign policy principles, Karim emphasised that bilateral relations with neighbouring countries would continue to be guided by sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual benefit.
“We reiterate that we will continue to pursue our ‘Bangladesh First’ policy to promote friendly bilateral relations with other countries, including our neighbours, based on sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and mutual benefit”, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
India, however, distanced itself from Hasina’s engagement, clarifying that the government had no involvement in the event in the national capital.
Addressing a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stressed that the event was being organised by a “private media entity” and that New Delhi does not endorse any views that may be expressed there.
“The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum,” Jaiswal said.
The ongoing high-level exchanges follow recent consultations between Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, coming shortly after Trivedi met with Prime Minister Rahman in Dhaka to discuss bilateral ties.
