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Bangladesh on Monday expressed "hope" that India will expedite the extradition process of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in 2024, during a meeting between Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Trivedi, who was appointed as India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister's Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The meeting assumes significance amid recent diplomatic tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi following Sheikh Hasina's public remarks from India, who has been in India since she was ousted from the country after a student-led uprising in 2024. At the beginning of the meeting, the Bangladesh Prime Minister welcomed the Indian envoy, who also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the past two months. According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office, "Bangladesh expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process of Sheikh Hasina." Dhaka also reiterated its request to New Delhi for the return of individuals it alleges were involved in the murder of Shahid Osman Hadi, one of the prominent figures behind the July uprising, who was shot at close range on December 12, 2025. "At the same time, Bangladesh reiterated its request to India to return the killers involved in the murder of Shahid Osman Hadi," the statement added. The two sides discussed key bilateral issues during the meeting, with Tarique Rahman emphasising the need to create a suitable environment for taking forward relations between Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other relevant officials were also present during the meeting. The meeting came a day after Trivedi held a one-on-one meeting with Foreign Minister Rahman ahead of his scheduled interaction with the Bangladesh Prime Minister. The High Commissioner's meeting with Bangladesh's top leadership assumes significance as Dhaka and New Delhi have recently witnessed diplomatic friction over former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's public remarks from India. The diplomatic dialogue comes against the backdrop of a virtual press interaction by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5, organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster following the 2024 student-led uprising, an event that drew strong objections from Dhaka. During her address, Hasina stated that she remains resolute about returning to her homeland in December to put the nation on the "right track" by restoring democracy, despite acknowledging the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return. In a swift response, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs registered a strong protest and condemned the statements, noting that the incident impacted public sentiment and complicated efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation. India had sidelined itself from Hasina's engagement, stating that the government has no involvement in the event related to Hasina in the national capital. Addressing a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stressed that the event was being organised by a "private media entity" and that New Delhi does not endorse any views that may be expressed there. "The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum," Jaiswal said. (ANI)
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