Relations will not be “held hostage” to one issue, say Bangladeshi sources privy to the discussion, referring to the issue of Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India
India will engage the ‘new government’ of Bangladesh and the two sides will ‘deepen’ bilateral ties, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday (April 8, 2026) after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hosted Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Khalilur Rahman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kobir in New Delhi. Following the talks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Bangladesh said Mr. Khalilur Rahman conveyed Dhaka’s desire to conduct foreign policy in accordance with the principle of “Bangladesh First” and called for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, sources in the Bangladesh side privy to the discussion told The Hindu that broader bilateral relations would not be “held hostage” by Ms. Hasina’s presence in India.
“The External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties. The two sides agreed to explore proposals for deepening the partnership through the relevant bilateral mechanisms,” the MEA said in a statement after the two teams wrapped up their meeting. The statement said the two sides had agreed on “follow-on official meetings” that were expected to take place at an early date. Mr. Jaishankar said the two sides “discussed strengthening our bilateral relation in its various facets” and discussed regional and global developments. “Agreed to remain in close touch,” he said.
Security concerns
During the talks in Delhi, the delegation is understood to have allayed security concerns for India, saying Bangladesh would not allow its soil to be used against Indian interests, nor would the new government seek security pacts with other countries, including the U.S., China or Pakistan. Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said Mr. Khalilur Rahman “thanked” the Indian government for “apprehending the suspected killers” of young Islamist leader Osman Hadi and “reiterated” Dhaka’s request for extradition of Ms. Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both of whom were given death sentence by the ICT in Dhaka.
However, Bangladeshi sources privy to the discussion said Dhaka did not want relations to be “held hostage” to the issue of Ms. Hasina’s presence in India but they would seek assurances that her public statements would be curtailed, and she would not be allowed to “use Indian territory” for political purposes. They also raised their disappointment over the cancellation of IPL contract for Mustafizur Rahman, popular cricketer of Bangladesh, over India’s concerns regarding rights of minority communities from the T20 World Cup in January. Bangladeshi officials indicated that they will work to keep sporting ties on track and cited that the Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided to invite the Indian team to play a test series later this year.
Mr. Khalilur Rahman, who arrived here on Tuesday (April 7, 2026), is the first high-level dignitary to be welcomed here for a bilateral engagement from Bangladesh since the fall of Ms. Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024. He visited India in November 2025 while serving the interim government led by Muhammed Yunus as the National Security Adviser of Bangladesh. According to the MoFA of Bangladesh, the Indian side has given indication that issuance of Indian visas that has remained slow for more than one and half years will be addressed soon. “During the discussions, Mr. Jaishankar said Indian visas to Bangladeshis, particularly medical and business visas, would be eased in the coming weeks,” said the MoFA in a press note.
