No decision yet on PM's India visit: Press secretary

Highlights:

• Dhaka awaits New Delhi's response to extradition requests
• India withdraws statement on Rashtrapati Bhavan preparations for possible visit
• India says invitation extended to Tarique for BRICS outreach session
• Bangladesh wants PM's first India visit to be bilateral, says Humaiun Kobir

Bangladesh has not yet taken any decision regarding Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India, as Dhaka awaits a response from New Delhi to concerns recently raised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"No decision has been made yet [regarding the PM's visit]," Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abu Abdullah M Saleh (Saleh Shibly) told UNB today (21 August).

The Indian Express, an Indian daily newspaper, reported today that the Prime Minister is likely to visit New Delhi between 23 and 25 August.

Meanwhile, shortly after issuing a statement indicating preparations at Rashtrapati Bhavan for a possible visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, India withdrew it on Friday.

In a press release issued this afternoon, the Indian President's Secretariat said the Change of Guard Ceremony at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan would not be held on Saturday (August 22) due to a full rehearsal for the ceremonial welcome of the Bangladeshi prime minister.

The statement was posted by India's Press Information Bureau at 2:25pm but was later recalled.

On August 16, Bangladesh requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on its request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals, and to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with their bilateral extradition treaty.

"We are awaiting their response," said AKM Shahidul Karim, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Officials of Bangladesh and India have been in touch with each other for several weeks on the possibility of a bilateral visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India.

However, MoFA spokesperson Karim said this process was "vitiated" by the open press interaction in New Delhi on 5 August 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," he said while reading out a written statement. The spokesperson, however, did not take any questions.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first visit to India should be a bilateral visit rather than a meeting on the sidelines of multilateral platforms such as BRICS or the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), PM's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir said yesterday.

"The first visit should be bilateral. We should invite each other to our homes, understand?" he said, describing Bangladesh and India as two important countries.

Talking to private TV channels at his office, Humaiun said any visit should have a clear outcome, with mutual respect and engagement in place.

"There are issues related to the interests of the two countries and these are not something to rush into," he said. "When we see that the timing is right, we are willing to visit."

He said groundwork needs to be done on several issues before the two sides can reach a consensus.

The adviser said that in recent days, Bangladesh has seen a fairly positive conversation from India, along with a strong realisation on the Indian side that the events of 5 August have deeply affected the sentiments of the people of Bangladesh.

"If India truly means resetting relations, then it must realise today's Bangladesh," Humaiun said, noting that "in today's Bangladesh, a terrorist like Sheikh Hasina or her party does not exist."

"So, by recognising this reality, we have to take the relationship forward," the adviser said.

India's promise to give the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman an "honourable welcome" during his visit makes New Delhi's intent unmistakably clear, Indian media The Print reports, noting that the ball is now in Dhaka's court.

Acknowledging that there are issues between the two neighbours, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Tuesday night (18 August) called on Bangladesh and India to move beyond their differences and work together to build a relationship based on "mutual and unconditional trust," saying such differences can be resolved through engagement and dialogue.

"I can tell you I fully understand there are issues, but these issues can definitely be sorted out once the Prime Minister of Bangladesh (Tarique Rahman) and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet," he said.

The Indian envoy also conveyed what he described as an assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding a future visit by the Bangladesh Prime Minister to India.

"After meeting the Prime Minister here, I went straight to Delhi and had a great meeting with our Prime Minister. He (PM Modi) just mentioned one thing: we need to meet," he said.

"You can tell them on my behalf that you have the Prime Minister of India's assurance that when the Prime Minister of Bangladesh visits India, he will have such an honourable reception as he deserves," he added, quoting the Indian Prime Minister.

The visit, Trivedi said, would be "a memorable visit" whose benefits would ultimately reach people and businesses on both sides.

On Hasina's extradition request, the Indian government has recently said that the matter is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi this evening that they have extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a bilateral visit.

"We've also extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a visit to India for the outreach session of the BRICS Summit. So, these invitations have been extended, and I shall keep you updated if there is any progress in this regard," he added.