Dhaka says ‘propitious environment’ needed for Bangladesh PM Rahman’s India visit; restates Hasina extradition demand
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Dhaka says ‘propitious environment’ needed for Bangladesh PM Rahman’s India visit; restates Hasina extradition demand")
A.K.M. Shahidul Karim, spokesperson for Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photograph: (WION)
India and Bangladesh have been examining possible dates for Rahman’s first official visit to New Delhi, with windows around 21 August and the first week of September under consideration. No final dates have been confirmed.
Bangladesh has said a favourable atmosphere must first be created before Prime Minister Tarique Rahman can undertake a bilateral visit to India, and has reiterated its request for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
A.K.M. Shahidul Karim, spokesperson for Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said officials from both countries had been in contact for several weeks about the possibility of Mr Rahman’s visit. “However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction by Sheikh Hasina on 5th Aug, who has been convicted by the tribunal for committing crime against humanity,” he said.
“We have made our position clear on this matter. We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for the visit. To this end we have requested the Indian authorities to act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals, and hand over accused killers of Hadi. We are awaiting their response.”
Mr Karim added that Bangladesh would continue to pursue a “Bangladesh first” policy to promote friendly ties with neighbours on the basis of sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference and mutual benefit.
India and Bangladesh have been examining possible dates for Rahman’s first official visit to New Delhi, with windows around 21 August and the first week of September under consideration. No final dates have been confirmed. The invitation was initially extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephone call after Mr Rahman’s election victory in February. New Delhi later renewed the offer in Mr Rahman’s capacity as BIMSTEC chair, inviting him to the BRICS summit in Delhi in September.
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Last week has seen a flurry of diplomatic contacts aimed at stabilising relations. On 10 August, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, called on Bangladesh PM Rahman and separately met the home minister in Dhaka. The chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, Parag Jain, was also in the Bangladeshi capital for consultations. The following day High Commissioner Trivedi returned to Delhi and briefed PM Modi on the developments. India’s Ministry of External Affairs publicly restated the invitation for Mr Rahman to participate in the BRICS summit.
The High Commissioner earlier this month also met Bangladesh’s Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood to discuss cooperation in the power and energy sectors. Dhaka sought increased diesel supplies from India, according to Bangladeshi media reports.
Relations have been strained by the continued presence of Sheikh Hasina in India and a virtual press conference she held on 5 August. Dhaka expressed “outrage” over the event and the platform provided to her. India’s Ministry of External Affairs distanced itself from her remarks, stating that it did not endorse the comments.
