‘Very hopeful’: Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi breaks silence on PM Tarique Rahman’s proposed India visit

Trivedi was quoted by the Dhaka Tribune as saying, “Issues can only be sorted out by meeting, and I am very hopeful.”

He made the remarks during a welcome dinner hosted by Masud Jamil Khan, honorary consul of Ireland in Bangladesh, and his wife, Kate Jaro Khan, in Dhaka’s Baridhara area.

“We have our challenges. There is no doubt about it. And if you do not have challenges, that is not democracy. No matter how chaotic democracy is,” the envoy said.

“We need our space. We have our differences. We have our arguments. That's okay. But as long as our goals are the same, that we want people, not only of these two countries, but all over the world, to have dignity, respect and mutual respect for each other. And that's what we strive for,” he added.

Trivedi also expressed his desire to see stronger ties between the two neighbouring countries.

“And I sincerely wish... My very objective is to have a golden period between India and Bangladesh,” he said.

Trivedi recently met Rahman in Dhaka.

The meeting came against the backdrop of growing friction between India and Bangladesh following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual address on August 5.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has set several conditions, including the extradition of Hasina and other fugitives wanted by Dhaka, for Rahman’s proposed visit to India.

Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesman AKM Shahidul Karim said on Sunday that officials in Dhaka and New Delhi had been discussing a possible bilateral visit by Rahman for several weeks.

“However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on August 5 by Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity. We have made our position clear on this matter,” Karim was quoted as saying by bdnews24.

Karim said the atmosphere surrounding Rahman’s proposed visit would need to improve before the trip could go ahead.

“We are of the view that a conducive environment needs to be created for this visit. To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals,” he said.

He added that Dhaka had also asked India to hand over those accused of killing Sharif Osman Hadi, in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty.

“And to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty. We are awaiting their response,” Karim said.