Bangladesh has emphasized the need to create a favorable environment before Prime Minister Tarique Rahman makes a possible visit to India. Dhaka wants New Delhi to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently staying in India after being sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, as well as the suspected killers of Inqilab Mancha convenor Shaheed Osman Hadi.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson A.K.M. Shahidul Karim conveyed the government’s position during a brief media briefing at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday (August 16).

He said officials from Bangladesh and India have been communicating over the past few weeks regarding a possible bilateral visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India. However, the process has been disrupted following Sheikh Hasina’s recent public interaction in Delhi. She has been convicted of crimes against humanity by the International Crimes Tribunal.

Shahidul Karim said, “We have made our position clear on this matter. We believe that a conducive environment needs to be created for this visit. To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to take prompt action on our request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals.”

He further said, “Under our bilateral extradition treaty, the accused killers of Shaheed Osman Hadi must be handed over to Bangladesh. We are waiting for their response.”

The spokesperson said Bangladesh would continue to pursue its ‘Bangladesh First’ policy in developing friendly bilateral relations with neighboring countries and others based on sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the outreach segment of the BRICS Summit scheduled to be held in Delhi in September. India has also invited him for a bilateral visit.

Uncertainty had recently emerged over Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s participation in the BRICS Summit after Sheikh Hasina was given an opportunity to deliver a speech in Delhi. Later, diplomatic efforts by Dhaka and Delhi revived discussions over the prime minister’s possible bilateral visit to India.