No justification to rush: Bangladesh says PM Tarique Rahman's India visit chances slim

Bangladesh PM's aide said Dhaka expects New Delhi to address its concerns and ensure an environment of mutual trust before any high-level visit can take place.

In Short

• Dhaka wants defined national interest before considering any top-level diplomatic engagement
• Kobir criticised India for allowing Sheikh Hasina political and media space
• Bangladesh says protests to New Delhi will continue over anti-Bangladesh activities

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi remains unlikely unless an "appropriate environment" based on mutual trust, respect for sovereignty and a dignified invitation is created, the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir has said.

Speaking to Bangladesh media on Thursday, Kobir said there was "no justification for rushing into a top-level visit" without first ensuring that it served Bangladesh’s national interests.

"The possibility of the Prime Minister visiting India ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit remains slim unless an appropriate environment is created based on consensus between the two countries on specific issues and a dignified invitation," he said.

Reports have suggested that the neighbouring country's new Prime Minister could visit New Delhi ahead of the BRICS Summit, scheduled for September 12-13. Kobir, however, dismissed the reports as "baseless and assumption-driven", saying Dhaka would not rush into a high-level engagement without clearly defined national interests.

Kobir added that Bangladesh could take a positive view of participating in the BRICS Summit if an appropriate environment emerged through consensus between the two countries.

The PM's adviser also said the future of Bangladesh-India relations and any potential visit by Rahman would also depend on a change in the approach of India’s current leadership. He said New Delhi needed to properly understand the reality of Bangladesh’s July Mass Uprising, which, according to him, resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people.

Kobir also criticised India for allowing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India following the political upheaval, to have political and media space there.

"After the fall of autocratic rule through the July Mass Uprising, in which more than 1,500 people sacrificed their lives in Bangladesh, providing political or media space in India to fascist Sheikh Hasina, who fled there and took shelter as a criminal, is contrary to India’s democratic etiquette," he said.

He said Bangladesh was particularly concerned about the use of Indian territory for activities that could destabilise the country. Dhaka, he added, had already lodged diplomatic protests with New Delhi and would continue to exert diplomatic pressure to prevent such activities.

Earlier, Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said that a "propitious environment needs to be created" by India for Rahman to visit New Delhi, linking it to Dhaka's pending extradition requests regarding Sheikh Hasina.

- Ends