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Bangladesh has yet to decide on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India, with Dhaka awaiting New Delhi’s response to concerns raised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“No decision has been made yet [regarding the PM’s visit],” Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abu Abdullah M Saleh (Saleh Shibly) told UNB.
On August 16, Bangladesh asked India to expedite its request for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive convicts, as well as the handover of those accused of killing Osman Hadi, under the bilateral extradition treaty, reports Business Standard BD.
“We are awaiting their response,” said AKM Shahidul Karim, spokesperson for Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Officials from the two countries have been in contact for several weeks over the possibility of Rahman making a bilateral visit to India. However, Karim said the process had been “vitiated” by Hasina’s public interaction with the press in New Delhi on August 5. Hasina, who was convicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of crimes against humanity, fled to India following the political upheaval.
Bangladesh has made its position clear on the issue, Karim said, without taking questions after reading out a written statement.
Rahman’s first visit to India should be bilateral rather than on the sidelines of multilateral events such as the BRICS Summit or the UN General Assembly, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir said on Thursday.
“The first visit should be bilateral. We should invite each other to our homes, understand?” he said, describing Bangladesh and India as two important countries.
Speaking to private television channels, Kobir said any visit should have a clear outcome and be based on mutual respect and engagement. “When we see that the timing is right, we are willing to visit,” he said, adding that groundwork was needed on several issues before the two sides could reach a consensus.
He said recent discussions from India had been fairly positive and suggested there was growing recognition in New Delhi that the events of August 5 had deeply affected public sentiment in Bangladesh.
“If India truly means resetting relations, then it must realize today’s Bangladesh,” Kobir said, adding that there was “no place” for either Hasina or the Awami League.
India, meanwhile, has signaled its willingness to host Rahman. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to meet Rahman and had assured that the Bangladeshi leader would receive an “honorable welcome” in India.
Trivedi said the two countries should move beyond their differences and build relations based on “mutual and unconditional trust” arguing that outstanding issues could be resolved through engagement and dialogue.
“I can tell you I fully understand there are issues, but these issues can definitely be sorted out once the Prime Minister of Bangladesh (Tarique Rahman) and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet,” he said.
He described the proposed visit as one that would be “a memorable visit” and said its benefits would ultimately reach people and businesses in both countries.
On Hasina’s extradition, India has said the request is being examined under ongoing judicial and domestic legal processes.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs also confirmed that New Delhi had invited Rahman for a bilateral visit, as well as for the outreach session of the BRICS Summit.
“We’ve also extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a visit to India for the outreach session of the BRICS Summit,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi. “So, these invitations have been extended, and I shall keep you updated if there is any progress in this regard.”
