Dhaka pushes India on Hasina extradition

Bangladesh and India have signalled a willingness to repair strained ties, with Dhaka urging New Delhi to expedite the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and suspects in the killing of student activist Shaheed Osman Hadi while calling for an “enabling environment” for closer bilateral engagement.

The issues were raised during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first formal courtesy meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman said Dhaka had conveyed its concerns clearly to the Indian envoy, particularly over Hasina’s extradition and the alleged presence in India of people suspected of involvement in Hadi’s killing.

“During the meeting, the issue of the extradition of convicted Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh came up.

We asked them to expedite the extradition process. We hope India will respond positively in this regard,” Khalilur told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said Dhaka had also raised the issue of the suspected killers of Shaheed Hadi, who are believed to be staying in India.

“We have given India all the documents they requested. This is an extremely sensitive issue for us.

We have asked for the extradition of these killers to Bangladesh as soon as possible,” the foreign minister said.

The meeting marked the first formal engagement between Tarique and Trivedi since the Indian diplomat assumed office in Dhaka. Trivedi also briefed the prime minister on his experience in Bangladesh since his arrival.

Dhaka seeks reset in bilateral ties
Khalilur said the discussions also addressed the broader atmosphere surrounding Bangladesh-India relations, with Dhaka stressing the need to improve the environment for future engagement.

“We stressed the need to create an enabling environment for advancing Bangladesh-India relations,” he said.

The foreign minister said Dhaka had also conveyed its concerns to India over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s 5 August episode in New Delhi, saying the Indian side appeared to have understood Bangladesh’s position.

“They told me yesterday and told the Prime Minister today that they have realised the issue on August 5,” he said.

Khalilur rejected the suggestion that the issue was merely about an expression of regret, saying it involved Bangladesh’s state institutions, particularly the judiciary.
“You have to understand properly what happened.

A state has three pillars: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary,” he said.

“Sheikh Hasina is a convicted person. A court in Bangladesh tried her and sentenced her. What happens to a convicted person? He or she is taken into custody, and if there is any statement or defence, it should be presented before the court,” he added.

Khalilur alleged that Hasina’s actions on 5 August undermined one of the pillars of Bangladesh’s state structure.

“What Sheikh Hasina did on the 5th was to show hostility towards the judiciary, which is one of the pillars of Bangladesh’s state structure, and the Indian government allowed that to happen,” he said.

“We want all countries to respect our state structure and institutions. We hope the Indian government will understand this issue.

My impression from the discussions with them is that they have understood it, and I hope they will not do anything further that undermines any pillar of our state.”

The foreign minister said he was “somewhat reassured” by discussions with the Indian side that a similar incident would not be repeated.

Asked when bilateral relations would return to normal, Khalilur said: “I am not an astrologer, so I cannot say which day it will happen.”

BRICS visit remains undecided
Khalilur also said Dhaka had not yet taken a decision on whether Tarique would visit India for the BRICS Summit.

He clarified that the invitation for Tarique to attend the BRICS outreach session was extended in his capacity as chairperson of BIMSTEC, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had separately invited him for a bilateral visit through a letter delivered after Bangladesh’s new government was formed.

“We have not taken any decision on these matters yet,” Khalilur said.
The minister said border killings and alleged “push-ins” were also raised during the meeting, although only briefly.

He said the Ganges water-sharing treaty and other river-related issues were not discussed at the prime ministerial level, noting that Monday’s meeting was a courtesy call rather than a substantive bilateral negotiation with an ambassador.

Prime Minister’s Foreign Adviser Humayun Kabir was present during the meeting.

India stresses dialogue
Trivedi described his meeting with Tarique as fruitful, saying the two countries shared not only a border but also common aspirations.

“Our history and the reality of our borders cannot be changed. We share dreams with each other.

I hope the coming days will also be good,” Trivedi told reporters after meeting Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at the Secretariat.

Asked about the possibility of a meeting between Tarique and Modi, the Indian envoy said New Delhi’s invitation remained in place.

“Our invitation is there in place. We are positive that if the two leaders meet together, there will be discussion,” he said.

Trivedi acknowledged that differences were inevitable between democratic countries but said they could be addressed through dialogue.

“There will be issues in democracies. It is not democracy if there are no issues. There is no issue that we cannot settle through dialogue. It is a win-win situation between us,” he said.

“We have vibrant democracies in both of our countries. People of both countries want good relations. Our Prime Minister has always said maintaining good relations is important,” he added.

“There is no issue that cannot be solved. I can tell you this confidently,” Trivedi said.

Describing his interaction with Tarique, the envoy said the meeting felt more like an exchange between elected representatives than a conventional diplomatic engagement.

“I am not a diplomat. It is like people’s representative to people’s representative. I am very delighted that we have met. I did not feel that I met him for the first time,” he said.

Trivedi also spoke positively about the reception he had received since arriving in Bangladesh, signalling an effort by both sides to maintain engagement despite unresolved political, legal and security issues.