India calls for ‘reciprocity’ in ties as Dhaka demands Hasina extradition

After Bangladesh's government expressed a desire for a "propitious environment" to welcome Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's upcoming visit to India, New Delhi declared on Tuesday its intention to foster positive, constructive, and forward-looking relations with Bangladesh, emphasizing "mutuality of interests and reciprocity." This insistence on reciprocity suggests that India is not inclined to address contentious issues, such as security concerns, prior to committing to any actions.

The primary issue of contention has been the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has resided in India for the past two years. Dhaka has demanded that Indian authorities "expeditiously act on request to extradite Sheikh Hasina" and to prosecute other fugitive criminals, in accordance with their bilateral extradition treaty.

While many in Bangladesh view this as a "red line," there is a perception in New Delhi that it must provide a "cogent response" to Bangladesh's extradition request. The initial extradition petition was filed by the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus in 2024 and has been reasserted by the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party government, which came into power in February of this year.

According to a spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, India seeks "positive, constructive, and forward-looking relations with Bangladesh based on mutuality of interests and reciprocity." The spokesperson reiterated that their stance on the former Prime Minister's request remains unchanged. Earlier, India had declared that it had "no role" in Hasina's press conference held on August 5, where she announced her plans to return to Bangladesh in December and even suggested that she might be killed.

However, Jaiswal declined to confirm or deny the possibility of a future visit by the Bangladesh Prime Minister, despite the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officially announcing on Sunday that discussions between the two nations have been underway regarding a potential visit. New Delhi had suggested August 21 as a possible date for the visit, but Hasina's press conference reportedly disrupted these plans. The Tarique Rahman government has explicitly stated that it requires a response from India.