Tarique Rahman's India visit being linked to Hasina extradition 'very rude, arrogant': Veena Sikri

Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri has expressed surprise at Bangladesh linking Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's proposed India visit with its request for the extradition of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, describing a recent Bangladesh Foreign Ministry statement as "very rude" and "arrogant.

Speaking to ANI yesterday (18 August), Sikri said the two governments were still discussing the dates of Tarique's proposed visit to India and preparations were underway. She said there had been no indication from the Bangladesh government that Tarique would not visit India.

Sikri said making public statements on such sensitive issues was "quite unacceptable" and questioned whether there were internal differences within Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry. She said the ongoing discussions between the Indian and Bangladeshi governments showed that the proposed visit remained under consideration.

The former diplomat also criticised what she described as a lack of response from Dhaka to two invitations extended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tarique.

According to Sikri, Modi's first invitation came shortly after Tarique was sworn in as prime minister on 17 February this year. Modi had invited Tarique and his family to India for a bilateral visit at any time convenient to him. Sikri said the understanding was that Tarique would make India his first foreign destination, but that did not happen even after six months.

She said India then extended a second invitation to Tarique a few weeks ago, this time in his capacity as chair of the BIMSTEC group, to participate in the BRICS summit. Sikri said there had again been no response from the Bangladeshi side.

Sikri said the proposed bilateral visit could take place only within a short window, making the current situation more significant. She questioned whether Tarique intended to avoid visiting India for the next two or three years because of the extradition issue.

She argued that the extradition process is a legal matter and can take years to complete. Citing India's experience with extradition requests involving London and other countries, Sikri said such processes can continue for years and may still require a final signature even after the legal proceedings are completed.

Against this backdrop, she described linking Tarique's visit to Hasina's extradition as "quite unnecessary" and "non-diplomatic", saying it was not consistent with the purpose of an extradition request.

Sikri also said the timing was significant as preparations for Tarique's bilateral visit had been continuing while the window for the trip remained narrow, possibly extending only until the end of the week.

The comments came after Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry reiterated its request for the extradition of Hasina, who has been in India since August 2024 after being ousted from power.

Bangladesh has formally asked India to act on pending extradition requests concerning Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal, as well as individuals accused in the murder of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi under the bilateral extradition treaty.

Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim said on Sunday that officials from Dhaka and New Delhi had been communicating for several weeks over a possible bilateral visit by Tarique to India. However, he said the process had been affected by Hasina's open press interaction in New Delhi on 5 August.

India has maintained that it had no involvement in Hasina's appearance in New Delhi. Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the interaction was organised by a private media entity and that the Indian government neither participated in it nor endorsed any views expressed at the event.

"The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum," Jaiswal said.

On Bangladesh's extradition request, Jaiswal said India's position remained that such requests were being examined as part of its established processes. He also said India wanted positive, constructive and forward-looking relations with Bangladesh based on mutuality of interest and reciprocity.

Regarding Tarique Rahman's proposed visit, Jaiswal said India had extended a cordial invitation to the Bangladeshi prime minister and that an update would be shared when available.

Tarique's proposed visit would be his first trip to India since assuming office in February.