Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman may visit India next week as Dhaka seeks Hasina’s extradition

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India has not yet been finalised, with Dhaka saying the timing will depend on his schedule and the progress of ongoing discussions between the two countries. However, reports indicate that he may visit India next week, marking his first trip to the country since assuming office.

Bangladesh state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam said a visit would take place if the schedule and bilateral engagements allow it, as per TOI report.

“The government is positive about visits to all countries. But it will depend on the PM's schedule and on how far discussions between the two countries progress,” Shama said.


She added that both the government and the prime minister were occupied with domestic programmes and upcoming constitutional activities. “If everything fits together, of course there will be a visit to India, a visit to Japan; all the visits will happen,” she said.

India extends two invitations to Tarique Rahman

India has extended two separate invitations to Rahman, according to external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. One invitation is for a bilateral visit, while the other is for Rahman to attend the outreach session of the Brics Summit in New Delhi in September.

Shama, however, indicated that the Brics engagement was still some time away. “Brics is still a long way off. A lot can happen in a month,” she said.

Asked whether a visit by Rahman could contribute to easing tensions between India and Bangladesh, Shama said direct discussions between the two governments' leaders could provide an avenue to address outstanding matters.

“Whenever the heads of two countries talk, there is a chance of resolving many problems. That opportunity is there; it remains,” she said.

Bangladesh seeks to mend strained ties with India

Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman travelled to India in April as part of efforts to repair relations that had remained strained following more than 18 months of heightened diplomatic tensions.

Dhaka has also sought the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply after Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, came to power following the fall of Hasina’s government in August 2024.

Efforts to improve ties gathered pace after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by foreign secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at Rahman’s swearing-in ceremony in Dhaka on February 17.

Rahman became prime minister after his Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections.

Sheikh Hasina’s return remains a point of contention

Bangladesh’s current government, led by Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has maintained that Sheikh Hasina must return to Bangladesh, surrender and face the law.

Hasina recently participated in an audio-only virtual press conference from New Delhi. It was her first public media interaction since she fled to India on August 5, 2024, amid mass protests.

During the interaction, Hasina said she intended to return to Bangladesh in December to restore democracy and put the country on the “right track”. She also acknowledged the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence.

India subsequently distanced itself from the event, saying it had neither been involved in organising the virtual press conference nor endorsed Hasina’s remarks concerning the Bangladesh government.