After tensions between India and Bangladesh reached their peak last year, Bangladesh is now taking steps towards improving relations. In this series, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has reached India on his first foreign tour and met many top leaders.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday met several officials including India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. According to a statement issued by Dhaka, Rehman reiterated the request for extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the meeting with Jaishankar. However, India did not respond to this request.

Mention of Bangladesh’s new foreign policy

According to the statement, Rahman said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tariq Rahman will run its foreign policy on the principle of “Bangladesh First”. This policy will be based on mutual trust, respect and mutual benefit. Rehman also expressed gratitude to the Indian government for arresting the accused in the murder of student leader Sharif Usman Hadi.

There is no mention of Sheikh Hasina in India’s statement

The Bangladeshi statement said both sides agreed that the arrested persons would be handed over to Bangladesh as per the procedure under the extradition treaty between the two countries. However, in the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of India, there was no mention of the issues of Sheikh Hasina and Hadi.

Sheikh Hasina is living in India

It is noteworthy that after the violent protests in Bangladesh in August 2024, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had to leave both the post and the country. Since then she is living in New Delhi. In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister have been given death sentence by the International Criminal Tribunal. Bangladesh has already demanded Sheikh Hasina’s extradition. The previous government led by Mohammad Yunus had also made this request to India, but India did not accept it.

Now India and Bangladesh have agreed that the issue of Sheikh Hasina will not affect the relations between the two countries. According to sources, both S Jaishankar and Khalilur Rehman believe that Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India should not become a hindrance in bilateral relations. Both sides discussed in detail how to leave behind the tensions of the interim government of Bangladesh and find new avenues of cooperation.

Rahman reached India on a three-day tour

Earlier, Khalilur Rahman had reached New Delhi on Tuesday on a three-day visit along with Humayun Kabir, Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. This is the first high-level visit by a senior member to India after the BNP came to power in Bangladesh in February following parliamentary elections. Apart from Jaishankar, Rehman also met Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and NSA Ajit Doval.

what did india say

Posting on social media after the meeting, S Jaishankar said that both the countries discussed various measures to strengthen bilateral relations. He said regional and global issues were also discussed and both sides agreed to maintain contacts. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement saying that India is committed to constructively engage with the new government and strengthen bilateral relations. The Indian side also assured the Bangladeshi delegation that the visa process for Bangladeshi nationals, especially medical and business visas, would be further eased in the coming weeks.