Visiting Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday told India that the newly formed BNP government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would pursue a “Bangladesh First” foreign policy.
He emphasised that relations would be guided by mutual trust, respect and shared benefits, in what appears to be an effort to counterbalance the pro-India stand of the previous Sheikh Hasina administration.
The Bangladesh high commission stated this in its readout on the minister’s meetings separately with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, national security adviser Ajit Doval and petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Ahead of the visit, Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir was quoted by the Dhaka Tribune on Monday as saying that the government was aiming to reset relations with India, moving away from the trajectory followed during Hasina’s tenure. “The kind of relations that existed during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure will no longer continue. That chapter is over.”
There was no mention of this being discussed in the Indian readout on the discussions between Rahman and Jaishankar. Rahman is also said to have once again sought the extradition of Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, pointing out that both have been handed the death penalty by the International Crimes Tribunal.
There was no mention in the high commission’s readout of India’s response. Again, the Indian statement on the meeting made no mention of this demand.
Rahman also thanked India for apprehending the suspected killers of Bangladeshi political and cultural activist Osman Hadi. The high commission said both sides agreed that the arrested individuals would be returned to Bangladesh in accordance with the procedures laid down in the extradition treaty between the two countries.
Jaishankar, according to the high commission, said Indian visas to Bangladeshis, particularly medical and business visas, would be eased.
The external affairs ministry’s readout on the meeting said Jaishankar reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties.