In a post on social media on Monday (August 17), Kanwal Sibal said, "Tarek Rahman is digging a hole from which he will not be able to come out."

The former Indian diplomat said, "Linking Tarek Rahman's India visit with Hasina's extradition is a hardline stance. This is not diplomacy; it is capriciousness. A door for dialogue should have been kept open."

Kanwal Sibal further said, "Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan also made the same mistake in dealing with India."

Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that officials from both countries had been in communication for several weeks regarding the possibility of Prime Minister Tarek Rahman's India visit. However, after Sheikh Hasina's public statement in New Delhi on August 5, the process was "disrupted," Dhaka said.

Bangladesh has requested India to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive accused swiftly. Additionally, Bangladesh has requested the handover of the accused in the Sharif Osman Hadi murder case under the bilateral extradition treaty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Dhaka is awaiting India's response on these matters.

Sheikh Hasina has been in India since being ousted in August 2024.

It is worth noting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarek Rahman to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Modi has invited him twice so far. The first invitation was personally delivered to Tarek Rahman by Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during a meeting with Tarek Rahman in Dhaka.

Source: Business Today