Dhaka likely to reiterate calls for Sheikh HAsina's extradition during FM's visit

FSea-ear people's republic of bangladesh premiere Sheikh Hasina’s front in republic of india remains a key sticking point in bilateral relations and Dhaka will reiterate its request for her extradition while ensuring that this issue doesn’t affect the ongoing process of normalising ties after a period of unprecedented strains, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, made it clear that Hasina’s Awami League party – which was barred from contesting this year’s general election swept by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – has a future in the country’s political setup but without her presence, and provided it acknowledges the mistakes it committed while in power.Hasina, 78, has lived in India in self-exile since her government was toppled in August 2024 following weeks of student-led protests. The erstwhile interim government led by Muhammad Yunus first sought her extradition in December 2024 and the request has since been reiterated by Dhaka several times. India hasn’t responded to the request, with officials contending the Bangladeshi side hasn’t completed all the legal formalities.The matter is expected to come up during Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman’s engagements with Indian interlocutors, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar, on Wednesday. Rahman is the first minister from Dhaka to travel to New Delhi since the BNP formed the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in February.Also Read: Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi exile under lens as BNP returns to power in BangladeshThe people pointed to Hasina’s conviction in criminal cases in Bangladesh – the Awami League leader was given the death sentence in November 2025 by the International Crimes Tribunal after being convicted of crimes against humanity for the crackdown on the student-led protests – and said this was reason enough to seek her extradition. They contended that the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty has to mean something in the context of this request.While stating that the Awami League has a future without Hasina and provided the party accepts its mistakes during its 15 years in power under her leadership, the people made it clear that the overall bilateral relationship will be sequestered from this matter while Dhaka reiterates that the former premier should be handed over. The development of other aspects of the relationship will not be contingent on this issue, they said.The people made it clear that, in Dhaka’s perception, India did not owe anything more to Hasina and had already done enough by giving her shelter after her government’s ouster.At the same time, the people pointed to Dhaka’s intention to rebuild relations with New Delhi in several key areas, including a more liberal visa regime and restoration of access to Indian land and sea ports for trans-shipment of Bangladesh’s exports. India’s restrictions on medical visas was described by the people as “sore point” for the Bangladeshi side as Dhaka has had to send people to other countries for treatment at greater cost.Bangladesh was the largest source of foreign tourist arrivals in India between 2017 and 2023 and the numbers peaked at around 2.6 million in 2019, and a large number of Bangladeshi citizens travelled to the country for medical treatment. The number of tourist arrivals fell to around 450,000 in 2025 after bilateral ties deteriorated and Dhaka has repeatedly brought up the need for India to again open up its system for issuing visas.In the context of trade and investment, the people said Bangladesh is keen to boost trade with India and desires the removal of restrictions on the use of Indian land and sea ports – imposed last year when relations with the interim government in Dhaka were at a low point – to bolster Bangladeshi exports. The people noted they were hopeful that the two sides would sort out this issue.Despite economic ties being hit by bilateral tensions, two-way trade was worth $12.90 billion in FY24 and Bangladesh was India’s biggest trading partner in the subcontinent.The people further expressed concern at India’s domestic political rhetoric involving Bangladesh, mostly related to upcoming assembly elections in the border states of Assam and West Bengal, and questioned the need to bring Dhaka into such matters. The people questioned why Bangladesh is being dragged into such matters and insisted the country should be left out of such rhetoric.In this context, the people said Bangladeshi soil will not be allowed to be used to undermine India’s interests, and Dhaka’s relations with Beijing and Islamabad should not be over-hyped. While Bangladesh does have relations with Pakistan, it would not work with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency or take any action that is detrimental to Indian interests, they said. Trade volumes between Bangladesh and Pakistan continue to be insignificant, they noted. Bangladesh has no plans to allow any country to use it to disrupt peace in the region, they added.The people reiterated the BNP’s call for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), which has been moribund for years because of differences between India and Pakistan, and emphasised the role that can be played by such a regional body.The people further underscored the importance being given by the BNP government to protecting the interests of Bangladesh’s minorities, including Hindus, and said such communities are safe in the neighbouring country. Members of minorities make up almost 15% of Bangladesh’s ministers and holders of administrative positions, they said.Bangladesh’s concerns about the killing of its citizens in instances of firing by India’s border guards were also raised by the people, who said this remains an emotive issues in the country. They also pointed out that the Jamaat-e-Islami performed well in the recent elections in several areas along Bangladesh’s border with West Bengal, which had witnessed such “border killings”, by capitalising on “anti-India feelings”.