India on Friday reiterated that it desires a “positive, constructive and forward-looking” relationship with Bangladesh but refrained from commenting specifically on a BBC Bangla report claiming that New Delhi had set two conditions for facilitating former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s possible return to Bangladesh in December this year.
India also referred to the matter of Hasina’s extradition as a legal issue.
“So what I refer to as a legal matter was the extradition part. Extradition is a legal matter, and it will be dealt with accordingly,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at a regular briefing in New Delhi.
Journalists drew his attention to the report suggesting that New Delhi wants Bangladesh to send a military aircraft to bring Sheikh Hasina back from India and has sought assurances that she would be given an opportunity to appeal her death sentence and face a fresh trial. The spokesperson, however, made no specific comments on the report.
The two conditions
According to the BBC Bangla report, New Delhi has identified two principal conditions for facilitating Hasina’s return to Bangladesh.
The first is that the Bangladesh Army must take responsibility for bringing her back, preferably using a military aircraft, as she originally arrived in India aboard a Bangladesh military aircraft after fleeing the country on August 5, 2024.
The second condition is that Bangladesh must guarantee Hasina an opportunity to appeal her death sentence and undergo a fresh trial over allegations relating to the July 2024 killings.
The report said Hasina’s continued presence in India has increasingly become an embarrassing issue for the Indian government, both in its bilateral relations with Bangladesh and on the international stage.
Consular dialogue
Asked about the postponement of the consular dialogue between Bangladesh and India, Jaiswal said India desires a “positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship” with Bangladesh. Accordingly, he said, initiatives have been taken and meetings held under structured mechanisms in areas such as trade, railways, water resources and border management, among others.
Jaiswal said the next round of consular dialogue, which will also take up matters relating to the revised travel arrangement, would be held on a mutually convenient date.
“India remains ready to discuss all matters or all bilateral issues with Bangladesh through these existing mechanisms, including at the technical level. So, the consular dialogue will be held at a mutually convenient date,” he said.
Bangladesh and India have more than 40 bilateral mechanisms covering issues including water, trade, border management and consular affairs, an official told UNB.
The two countries were discussing holding the fifth consular dialogue in Dhaka later this month (November 17-18), but a diplomatic source told UNB on Monday that the meeting would not take place as scheduled.
Dhaka: postponement unrelated to Hasina request
Minister (Press) at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi Saidur Rahman on Thursday said the consular dialogue had been postponed a week before the request concerning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s passport and national identity card was submitted.
“I can state with certainty that the decision to postpone the dialogue was made at least four days before the request for a passport and national ID on behalf of Sheikh Hasina was submitted on November 9. This has absolutely nothing to do with any announcement regarding Sheikh Hasina’s potential return to the country,” he said.
About the dialogue
The Bangladesh-India consular dialogue mechanism was instituted in 2017 to strengthen people-to-people contacts by establishing a regular channel of communication on consular, visa and mutual legal assistance cooperation matters between the two countries.
An inter-ministerial meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on November 3 as part of preparations for the consular dialogue. The dialogue was expected to discuss cross-border issues, border management, streamlining visa processes, repatriating citizens detained in either country, securing the release and repatriation of fishermen, and promoting mutual legal cooperation.
The fourth round of consular dialogue was held on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi. The two sides held wide-ranging discussions on mechanisms to strengthen coordination and cooperation on consular issues, visa matters, repatriation, MLAT and extradition cases, among others. They also agreed to further strengthen the bilateral Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA) to facilitate the movement of nationals between the two countries.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to promoting people-to-people exchanges and agreed to hold the next round of dialogue in Dhaka on a mutually convenient date.
Water-sharing issues
Meanwhile, longstanding water-sharing disputes and emerging challenges in transboundary water management are becoming increasingly pressing.
Jaiswal recently said India was ready to discuss all bilateral issues with Bangladesh through the existing structured mechanisms.
On the Ganga Water Treaty, the MEA spokesperson said on November 3 that the two countries have a Joint Rivers Commission.
“That is the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including the Ganga. As far as any further development in that regard is concerned, I have no update to share with you.”
With the Ganga Water Treaty approaching expiry in December, Bangladesh faces the task of securing an equitable and sustainable water-sharing arrangement while strengthening cooperation on other shared rivers.