The proposed bilateral visit of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India has become uncertain as Dhaka says a “conducive environment” needs to be created before the visit can take place.
After weeks of speculation over the possible visit, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson clarified Bangladesh’s position on Sunday, saying the process had been disrupted by Sheikh Hasina’s public interaction in New Delhi on 5 August.
“Officials of Bangladesh and India have been in touch with each other for several weeks regarding the possibility of a bilateral visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India. However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on 5 August by Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal of committing crimes against humanity,” the spokesperson said.
He added, “We have made our position clear on this matter. We are of the view that a conducive environment needs to be created for this visit.”
The spokesperson said Bangladesh had also asked India to take prompt action on Dhaka’s requests for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives, as well as the repatriation of those accused of killing Osman Hadi, in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty.
“We have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our requests to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals and hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty,” he said.
“We are awaiting their response,” he added.
He further said, “We reiterate that we continue to pursue our Bangladesh First policy and promote friendly bilateral relations with other countries, including our neighbours, on the basis of sovereignty, equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit.”
