Bangladesh on Sunday set former premier Sheikh Hasina’s extradition as a condition for a visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, with the foreign ministry in Dhaka saying a “propitious environment” should be created for the trip to go ahead.
“Bangladesh First” policy
His remarks appeared to play down reports that Rahman was certain to travel to India this month. “To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals and to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty. There was no immediate response from Indian officials to Bangladesh’s demands.
The Bangladesh government had also raised Hasina’s extradition when Indian high commissioner Dinesh Trivedi met PM Rahman in Dhaka on August 10. Trivedi subsequently travelled to New Delhi to brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the latest developments on August 11.
Foreign ministry spokesperson AKM Shahidul Karim also called on New Delhi to extradite “other fugitive criminals” –– an apparent reference to leaders of Hasina’s Awami League party currently in India –– and to hand over the alleged killers of political leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who were arrested in West Bengal earlier this year. Karim, who made a statement on the issue at the foreign ministry, acknowledged that Bangladesh and India have been in touch for “several weeks” on the possibility of a visit by Rahman to New Delhi. “However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on August 5 by Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity,” he said. “We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for this visit,” Karim said. The Bangladeshi side is waiting for India’s response on these matters, Karim said. He made it clear the government in Dhaka will continue to follow a “Bangladesh First” policy while pursuing friendly relations with other countries, including neighbours, on the “basis of sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit”. The external affairs ministry has said that Bangladesh’s request for Hasina’s extradition is being examined in line with established legal processes. In the case of Hadi’s alleged killers, the external affairs ministry said investigations are ongoing against the two Bangladeshi nationals arrested in West Bengal in March. Earlier reporting noted: According to a statement from the Bangladeshi foreign ministry, officials from both countries have been in contact for several weeks about the possibility of a bilateral visit by Rahman to New Delhi,
Earlier reporting noted: According to a statement from the Bangladeshi foreign ministry, officials from both countries have been in contact for several weeks about the possibility of a bilateral visit by Tarique Rahman to New Delhi, According to a statement from the Bangladeshi foreign ministry, officials from both countries have been in contact for several weeks about the possibility of a bilateral visit by Tarique Rahman to New Delhi, Earlier reporting noted: Bangladesh said on Sunday that its Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India is unlikely to go ahead unless New Delhi moves ahead with the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives wanted by Dhaka.
