Bangladesh Says PM Will Skip India Trip Until Hasina Is Extradited

DHAKA, Bangladesh —

Bangladesh said Sunday that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not travel to India until New Delhi extradites former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India during a deadly 2024 uprising against her government, according to Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times and the South China Morning Post.

Foreign ministry official A.K.M. Shahidul Karim told reporters in Dhaka that speculation about a possible trip by Rahman to India next week was premature. "We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for the visit," Karim said, according to all three outlets. "To this end, we have urged the Indian authorities to expedite their efforts to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives."

Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 15 years before mass protests forced her from power in 2024. Critics said her government grew increasingly autocratic during that stretch. She has since been convicted of crimes against humanity in Bangladesh and faces the death penalty there, but she remains in India, which has said Bangladesh's extradition request is "under examination," the outlets reported.

A Cooling Relationship

Rahman took office in February and broke with the practice of Bangladeshi leaders making India their first foreign visit as prime minister, choosing instead to travel first to Malaysia and then China, according to the reporting. India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, met with Rahman last week, a meeting that stirred speculation of a possible thaw between the two countries, the outlets said.

Karim said Bangladeshi and Indian officials have been in touch in recent weeks about the possibility of a visit by Rahman. But he said Hasina's continued public statements to the media have complicated that process. "The process has been vitiated by Sheikh Hasina's open media interactions, despite her being a convict in crimes against humanity," Karim said, according to the reporting.

Hasina's Vow to Return

Hasina has said she plans to return to Bangladesh in December even though she could face imprisonment there, according to the reporting. Karim also said Bangladesh's government intends to pursue what he called a "Bangladesh First" foreign policy built on sovereignty and non-interference, while still seeking what he described as mutually beneficial relations with India and other countries, the outlets reported. Neither Bangladesh nor India offered a timeline for resolving the extradition request.