Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman reiterated the request for former PM Sheikh Hasina’s extradition during his 2-day visit to India, marking the first time that the new BNP government led by PM Tarique Rahman officially raised the issue with Indian authorities. Khalilur met his counterpart S Jaishankar and also petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Puri who said that he discussed bilateral cooperation in the energy sector with the visiting minister. According to Dhaka, Jaishankar told the Bangladesh minister about easing of Indian visas to Bangladeshis, particularly medical and business, in the coming weeks. It’s likely that Dhaka would follow court-mandated processes in the Hasina case, not allowing it to disrupt ongoing efforts for a reset in the relationship. However, the fact that Khalilur, as Dhaka said its readout of his engagements, called for the extradition of Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan – both awarded death penalty by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal – suggests the new government won’t be oblivious to the likely effects domestically of Hasina’s continued presence in India. Khalilur’s was the first ministerial visit by either side since Rahman took over as PM in February. Bangladesh high commissioner Riaz Hamidullah had recently warned against ignoring the “antipathy” in the country over Hasina and other issues like killings of Bangladeshi nationals by Indian security forces on the border. According to Dhaka, Khalilur also thanked the Indian government for arresting the suspected killers of youth Shaheed Osman Hadi. “Both sides agreed that the arrested individuals will be returned to Bangladesh in accordance with the procedures laid out in the extradition treaty between the two countries,” said the Bangladesh readout. Hadi’s killing had sparked anti-India protests in the country. Khalilur had on Tuesday met NSA Ajit Doval. In his meeting with Khalilur on Wednesday, Jaishankar reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties, according to an Indian readout. “The two sides agreed to explore proposals for deepening the partnership through the relevant bilateral mechanisms. Follow-on official meetings are expected to take place at an early date,” said the MEA in its statement. The Bangladesh minister thanked Puri for the recent supply of diesel to Bangladesh by India and requested an increase in diesel and fertilizer supplies that the Indian minister, according to Bangladesh, agreed to consider favourably. According to Bangladesh, Khalilur stated that Dhaka under Tarique Rahman would pursue its foreign policy in accordance with the principle of “Bangladesh First” and based on mutual trust and respect and reciprocal benefit. “In the discussions, both sides emphasized the importance of advancing bilateral relations between the two countries in various dimensions. They also discussed key regional and international issues,” said the Dhaka readout.
