Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 11 (ANI): A day after Bangladesh expressed “hope” that India will expedite the extradition process of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) MP and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh’s House of the Nation Jahrat Adib Chowdhury on Tuesday said Dhaka wants to resolve multiple issues with New Delhi while building a “good, healthy relationship” with its largest neighbour.
Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury said that the ruling BNP, which received the public mandate to form the government in February after almost two years of political instability, wants to pursue a “Bangladesh-first approach” in its foreign relations and build ties with India based on a “win-win strategy”.
“India is our largest neighbour. For Bangladesh, obviously, we want to have a very good, healthy relationship with our neighbour,” Chowdhury said.
She said that although the BNP government has been in office for less than six months, it had clearly outlined its foreign policy approach before the election.
“When it comes to foreign relationships, we have presented our Bangladesh-first approach. And it is very clear that we want to build all our foreign relationships based on a win-win strategy. And that would be the baseline for our relationship with India,” she said.
The BNP MP, however, acknowledged that Bangladesh and India have several differences and outstanding issues, including the presence of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India, border issues and long-pending water rights issues, which Dhaka wants to get resolved.
She stated the BNP wants to address these matters in a “very professional, respectable manner”, while maintaining Bangladesh’s national dignity.
“Obviously, we do have our challenges. We have many differences of opinion in terms of the major issues, such as obviously the mass murderer Sheikh Hasina; she is residing in India at this moment. We have our border issues. We have our long-pending water rights issues. So there are many multiple issues that we have with India that we want to be resolved,” Chowdhury said.
“And BNP wants to deal with these matters in a very professional, respectable manner, maintaining the national dignity of the country. So we are working on this,” she added.
The BNP MP also said that the Bangladesh government has already conveyed to India the “baseline” and “standard” on which Dhaka wants to build its future relationship with New Delhi, adding that Bangladesh does not believe in animosity with any of its neighbours but wants to be treated with dignity, respect and acknowledgement of its rights.
“Bangladesh does not believe in any animosity with any of our neighbours. But at the same time, we want to be treated with full dignity, with respect, and based on our due rights and with acknowledgement of our rights and the win-win relationship. Based on that, I believe that with India, we believe that we will create a good future for both countries. It will be beneficial for the citizens of both countries. So that’s how we want to envision the future relationship,” Chowdhury said.
“We will be working towards it, and we expect the same effort, the same commitment, and the same respect coming from India,” she added.
The remarks a day after 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 earlier this year, paid a courtesy call on Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
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.”
The two sides also 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.
Hasina has been in India since she was ousted from Bangladesh following a student-led uprising in 2024.
The diplomatic dialogue comes against the backdrop of a virtual press interaction by 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. The event 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 had 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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