Bangladesh seeks Hasina’s return before PM’s India visit

Bangladesh has told India it wants former prime minister Sheikh Hasina handed over before any visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to New Delhi, NDTV reports. The Bangladeshi foreign ministry said officials from both sides have been in contact for weeks about a possible bilateral trip. Hasina, convicted by Bangladeshi courts, has been in Delhi since fleeing the country in 2024.

National Herald India reports that the RAW chief Parag Jain visited Dhaka recently to restore security cooperation, and that bilateral ties remain strained after the 2024 political upheaval. Key issues include the stalled Teesta water-sharing pact, the 2026 expiry of the Ganges Water Treaty, cross-border crime, and the Hasina extradition request. Bangladesh has also seen a flurry of US, Chinese and Pakistani diplomatic visits in recent months.

Sentiment in Bangladesh is divided over strategic alignment with India and the US, though former diplomat M. Humayun Kabir told the National Herald that political engagement at the highest level is essential to resolve the complex logjam. No date for Rahman's visit has been announced.