Dhaka-Delhi PM visit talks hit snag over Sheikh Hasina's appearance

Talks for Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman's first visit to India are strained after a press appearance by former PM Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi. Dhaka called the event a 'vitiation' and urged India to extradite the 'convicted' ex-premier.

Officials from Bangladesh and India have been in active communication for several weeks regarding a potential bilateral visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to New Delhi, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim confirmed on Sunday. While discussions over the visit, which would mark Rahman's first trip to India since assuming office in February, remain ongoing, Dhaka emphasised that no final dates have been set due to recent diplomatic strains following an open press appearance by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

PM's Visit Talks 'Vitiated' By Hasina's Press Appearance

"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 urged Indian authorities to act on pending extradition requests concerning Sheikh Hasina, who was convicted by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, and to hand over the accused individuals in the murder of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi under the bilateral extradition treaty. The Foreign Ministry noted that dialogue surrounding the visit was impacted by Hasina's virtual interaction organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia on the second anniversary of her 2024 ouster.

Dhaka and Delhi Clarify Positions

New Delhi clarified that the press event was hosted by a private media entity with no government endorsement or involvement.

Reaffirming Dhaka's foreign policy principles, Karim stressed that bilateral relations with neighbouring countries will 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.

High-Level Consultations Continue Amid Tensions

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.

During his interaction with Rahman, High Commissioner Trivedi extended greetings from Prime Minister Modi and expressed the commitment to collaborate with the Bangladeshi administration and its citizens in a positive, constructive, and forward-looking manner. "They exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and discussed avenues for further strengthening bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh with a people-centric approach," the High Commission of India in Bangladesh had stated after the meeting. (ANI)

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