Bangladesh-India ties cannot normalise without Hasina extradition: Nahid

Bangladesh cannot normalise relations with India unless New Delhi resolves the issue of Sheikh Hasina’s extradition and stops allowing her and other Awami League leaders to conduct political activities from Indian territory, opposition chief whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam said on Tuesday.

“For the past two years, India has allowed Sheikh Hasina to use its territory to conduct activities hostile to Bangladesh,” Nahid said in a statement posted on Facebook, describing it as a “direct affront” to Bangladesh’s sovereignty, judicial system and the democratic will of its people.

He said Hasina’s reported virtual press conference from Delhi on August 5, held despite objections from Bangladesh, had again demonstrated that there had been no fundamental change in what he described as India’s “hegemonic and aggressive policy” towards Bangladesh.

Nahid’s statement came after Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday, in their first meeting since Trivedi took up his post.

The Prime Minister said the two countries needed to create a “conducive environment” to improve bilateral ties, while Trivedi described the meeting as fruitful and said Bangladesh and India “don’t only share border, we also share dreams”. The two sides also briefly discussed issues including border killings and push-ins, according to Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman.

Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have been at an impasse since Hasina was ousted in August 2024 and fled to India, though ties began to thaw after the BNP came to power earlier this year. That tentative thaw has since stalled following Hasina’s August 5 appearance from Delhi, which Dhaka condemned as a provocation and affront to its sovereignty.

Nahid criticised the government for what he called an inadequate response to the incident, saying the Foreign Ministry had so far limited itself to issuing a statement.

“Even after such a serious affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty, the government has yet to secure any meaningful accountability from the Indian authorities,” he said.

He also questioned why no public statement had emerged from Monday’s meeting between Rahman and Trivedi regarding the August 5 incident, and said there had been no indication of an explanation or expression of regret from India.

Nahid rejected Trivedi’s reference to a “shared dream” between the two countries, saying Bangladesh did not consider itself a partner in any “expansionist” vision led by Delhi.

“Bangladesh will not accept a relationship in which Delhi claims the right to determine or influence the country’s political future,” he said, calling instead for a South Asia based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, democratic values, communal harmony and shared economic prosperity.

“If the fascist Awami League is allowed to use Indian territory to conduct political and anti-state activities against Bangladesh, then any attempt by the Head of the Bangladesh Government to visit India and simultaneously pursue the normalization of bilateral relations would be meaningless,” Nahid said.

He said any sustainable relationship with India must be based on sovereign equality, non-interference and mutual respect rather than “hegemony, political influence, or unilateral interests.”

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