By Mir Lutful Kabir Saadi
Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India has become increasingly uncertain amid growing diplomatic complications between Dhaka and New Delhi. Indian media have described Bangladesh’s position as involving ‘tough conditions,’ particularly Dhaka’s demand for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives before a conducive environment can be created for the visit.
At the same time, Indian diplomatic sources and former diplomats continue to express optimism that direct engagement between Tarique Rahman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could open a new chapter in bilateral relations and help address long-standing disputes.
Dhaka Seeks a Conducive Environment
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that discussions regarding Tarique Rahman’s possible India visit have been continuing between officials of the two countries for several weeks.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson A.K. Shahidul Karim said the process had been affected by Sheikh Hasina’s ‘public appearance’ and interaction with the media in New Delhi on August 5. Dhaka believes such developments have undermined the environment required for a successful high-level bilateral visit.
The Bangladeshi government has therefore made clear that an appropriate and conducive environment must be created before the proposed visit can move forward.
Dhaka has also asked India to expedite the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives wanted by Bangladesh. It has separately requested the handover of individuals accused in the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi under the existing bilateral extradition framework. Bangladesh is currently awaiting India’s formal response to these requests.
Indian Media Describe Dhaka’s Position as Tough
The Bangladeshi position has received considerable attention in the Indian media. The Times of India described Dhaka’s demands as ‘tough riders’ for the proposed visit, while The Indian Express portrayed the extradition of Sheikh Hasina as a significant ‘red line’ for Bangladesh.
Indian diplomatic sources quoted in the media have suggested that immediately accepting all of Dhaka’s demands would be difficult for New Delhi because extradition requests have to be considered within India’s legal and institutional framework.
However, this media interpretation should not necessarily be understood as an official Indian rejection of Bangladesh’s position. New Delhi has continued to maintain diplomatic engagement with Dhaka, while Indian officials have repeatedly emphasised the importance of direct political dialogue.
Dhaka-Delhi Diplomatic Tensions Deepen
The diplomatic disagreement has also drawn criticism from former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri, who described Dhaka’s decision to link Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed India visit to the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as ‘unnecessary’ and ‘undiplomatic.’ However, political analysts have strongly criticised Sikri’s remarks as ‘unacceptable,’ arguing that they undermine established diplomatic norms and are inappropriate for a former senior diplomat commenting on a sensitive bilateral issue.
Sikri said India and Bangladesh were still discussing the timing of Rahman’s visit and noted that India had extended two invitations to him since he took office. Dhaka, however, has maintained its position on the extradition issue. The Bangladeshi government has repeatedly urged India to hand over Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives wanted in connection with cases in Bangladesh. It has also requested the handover of suspects wanted in the murder of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi.
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry has separately expressed concern over Hasina’s ‘public appearance’ at an event in New Delhi on August 5. India has said the event was organised by a private media outlet and that the Indian government bears no responsibility for statements made there. The differing positions underline the widening diplomatic gap over the issue while also demonstrating that communication between the two governments remains active.
The Sheikh Hasina Issue at the Centre
The most sensitive element of the dispute remains Sheikh Hasina. Hasina left Bangladesh for India following the political upheaval of August 2024. The current Bangladeshi government has repeatedly requested her extradition, particularly following judicial proceedings against her in Bangladesh.
The issue became more contentious after Hasina publicly addressed the media in New Delhi on August 5. Dhaka objected strongly to the event, arguing that her continued political activities from Indian territory have adversely affected the bilateral atmosphere. India, however, has indicated that it was not responsible for the event and that the extradition request is being examined through the country’s applicable legal procedures.
This has transformed the issue from a purely bilateral political dispute into a complex question involving extradition law, judicial proceedings, sovereignty and diplomatic relations.
New Delhi Still Wants Tarique to Visit
Despite the diplomatic difficulties, Indian officials continue to signal that they want Tarique Rahman to visit India. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said that the visit should take place ‘much sooner’ and expressed confidence that direct meetings between the two governments could resolve existing problems.
Speaking at a diplomatic gathering in Dhaka, Trivedi emphasised that Bangladesh and India are sovereign countries with their own interests, differences and challenges. He argued that such differences are precisely why political leaders need to meet and communicate directly. He expressed a desire to see a ‘golden chapter’ in India-Bangladesh relations and stressed that the two countries share deep historical, geographical and people-to-people connections.
‘Issues Can Only Be Sorted Out by Meeting’
Trivedi’s message is particularly significant in the context of the current diplomatic uncertainty. He has argued that when the leaders of the two countries sit together, there is no bilateral issue that cannot at least be discussed and potentially resolved. His remarks suggest that New Delhi sees direct political engagement as an important mechanism for preventing current disagreements from becoming a permanent obstacle to the broader relationship.
The Indian envoy has also emphasised cooperation in trade, connectivity, security, healthcare and other areas, arguing that both countries stand to gain from a stable and constructive relationship.
Former Indian Diplomat Urges Engagement
Former Indian diplomat Vidya Bhushan Soni has similarly expressed optimism about Tarique Rahman’s possible India visit. Speaking to ANI, Soni said that many unresolved bilateral issues require political attention and that a meeting between the two prime ministers could create an important opportunity for progress.
He specifically highlighted the Teesta water-sharing issue and the Rohingya crisis. According to Soni, India could potentially play a more active role in encouraging Myanmar to address the Rohingya crisis, given India’s relations with the Myanmar authorities.
He also described Tarique Rahman as comparatively open and said he did not view him as inherently anti-Indian.
A Narrowing Window for Diplomatic Engagement
Soni offered a particularly important warning: if Tarique Rahman does not visit India, the current opportunity for direct political engagement could be lost. His argument reflects a broader concern that prolonged absence of high-level political contact could allow mistrust to deepen.
For both countries, therefore, the proposed visit has significance beyond protocol. It could serve as an opportunity to establish a new political understanding after the dramatic deterioration of Bangladesh-India relations following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
The uncertainty is also being discussed in the context of the BRICS summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. India has invited Tarique Rahman to participate in the summit-related engagement and has also been pursuing a bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers.
Earlier discussions reportedly considered a bilateral visit during the third week of August. However, the latest developments have raised questions about whether the bilateral visit will take place according to the earlier timetable.
The precise relationship between Tarique Rahman’s possible BRICS participation and a separate bilateral visit remains subject to diplomatic negotiations.
The Broader Bilateral Agenda
The Sheikh Hasina issue is only one component of a much wider Bangladesh-India relationship. The two countries have major interests in trade, investment, energy, transport connectivity, border management, water sharing, security and regional cooperation.
For Bangladesh, the Teesta water-sharing issue remains particularly important. Despite years of negotiations, a comprehensive agreement has yet to be concluded.
Energy cooperation is another significant area. Bangladesh needs reliable energy supplies and regional connectivity, while India has an interest in maintaining a stable and economically strong neighbouring country.
Connectivity is equally important. Railways, roads, waterways, ports and cross-border trade can strengthen economic cooperation and potentially make Bangladesh an important regional connectivity hub.
The Rohingya refugee crisis is another area where Bangladesh expects greater international and regional engagement. Bangladesh hosts a large Rohingya refugee population and has repeatedly called for safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar.
Former diplomat Soni’s comments suggest that India could potentially play a constructive role because of its diplomatic and strategic relationship with Myanmar.
For Dhaka, greater Indian engagement on this issue could become an important element of a broader bilateral understanding.
Dhaka’s Diplomatic Dilemma
The Tarique Rahman government faces a difficult balancing act. A visit to India without meaningful progress on the extradition issue could generate criticism from sections of Bangladeshi society and political forces demanding accountability for Sheikh Hasina and other accused individuals.
At the same time, indefinitely postponing the visit could deprive Bangladesh of an important opportunity to engage directly with New Delhi on a wide range of national interests. Dhaka’s reference to a ‘conducive environment’ therefore provides diplomatic flexibility. It allows Bangladesh to firmly articulate its concerns without formally closing the door to dialogue.
New Delhi’s Diplomatic Dilemma
India faces an equally complicated situation. If New Delhi appears dismissive of Bangladesh’s demands, it could reinforce perceptions in Bangladesh that India is unwilling to respond to Dhaka’s legitimate concerns.
But agreeing to extradition demands without completing the necessary legal processes could create its own political and legal complications for the Indian government.
The most likely Indian approach, therefore, is to keep diplomatic communication open while allowing the relevant legal and institutional procedures to continue.
The current crisis should not be reduced entirely to what some Indian media have called Dhaka’s ‘Hasina card’.
For Bangladesh, the extradition demand is linked to questions of justice, accountability and the authority of its judicial institutions. For India, the matter involves legal procedures, diplomatic considerations and its own national interests. At the same time, the two countries must deal with a much larger strategic relationship involving more than 4,000 kilometres of shared borders, extensive economic links and deep social and cultural connections.
Reducing the entire relationship to the Sheikh Hasina question would therefore be strategically shortsighted for both sides.
A New Beginning or a Prolonged Stalemate?
The current situation could develop in several directions. A diplomatic understanding could allow the visit to proceed while extradition matters continue through established legal procedures. Alternatively, the visit could be postponed without causing a broader breakdown in relations.
The more difficult possibility would be a prolonged stalemate in which Dhaka insists on tangible progress on extradition before high-level engagement, while New Delhi insists that the legal process must run its course independently of political negotiations.
A fourth possibility is that both sides could separate the extradition issue from the broader bilateral agenda, allowing negotiations on trade, energy, water, connectivity and security to continue while the legal matters are handled through the appropriate channels. Such an approach could provide the greatest diplomatic space for both governments.
At the heart of the present uncertainty is a simple diplomatic reality: difficult bilateral relationships cannot be managed indefinitely through statements, media reports or intermediaries. They require sustained political dialogue. That is the central message emerging from the comments of Dinesh Trivedi and Vidya Bhushan Soni.
A meeting between Tarique Rahman and Narendra Modi would not automatically resolve the extradition issue, the Teesta dispute, border concerns or the Rohingya crisis. But it could create the political framework necessary for addressing those issues more systematically.
A Test of Mature Neighbourhood Diplomacy
The uncertainty surrounding Tarique Rahman’s possible India visit is therefore much more than a question of diplomatic scheduling. It is an early test of whether Bangladesh and India can construct a new relationship following the profound political changes in Bangladesh since 2024.
Dhaka has legitimate reasons to insist on its legal and national interests, particularly concerning extradition and accountability. India, meanwhile, has its own legal procedures and strategic considerations that it cannot simply ignore.
The challenge for both governments is to avoid allowing one extremely sensitive issue to paralyse the entire bilateral relationship.
A mature diplomatic approach would neither require Bangladesh to compromise on legitimate national interests nor require India to abandon its legal procedures. Instead, it would seek a principled middle ground based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, transparency and continuous dialogue.
The coming weeks will therefore be crucial. Whether Tarique Rahman travels to India soon, whether the visit is postponed or whether a new diplomatic formula emerges, the larger question will remain the same: can Dhaka and New Delhi transform the current tension into an opportunity to build a more balanced, pragmatic and mutually beneficial relationship? The answer will have implications far beyond one prime ministerial visit. It could shape the trajectory of Bangladesh-India relations for years to come.
