Tarique Rahman’s Time for India Visit Very Limited: Veena Sikri

Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri has commented on the possibility of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visiting India. Claiming that the window of opportunity for Tarique Rahman’s visit is now very limited, she said discussions are underway between the two countries to finalize the date of the visit. In an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Veena Sikri said linking Tarique Rahman’s visit to India with the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is unnecessary and undiplomatic. She said such an approach could also create complications in relations between the two countries. The former diplomat said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already invited Tarique Rahman to visit India twice. The first invitation was extended after Tarique Rahman took office, inviting him to visit India with his family on a bilateral visit. India later invited him to attend the BRICS summit as the chair of BIMSTEC.

Veena Sikri claimed that despite these invitations, no specific response has been received so far. Meanwhile, the timeframe for Tarique Rahman’s visit to India is rapidly narrowing. Regarding Sheikh Hasina’s extradition, she said extradition is a legal process that may take a long time to complete. Therefore, she said, it would not be appropriate to link the issue with the prime minister’s bilateral visit to India. She further said that while the governments of the two countries are discussing preparations and dates for the visit, such statements could create unnecessary tensions in bilateral relations. She also commented that a visit by Tarique Rahman to India would create an opportunity for direct communication and further strengthen relations between the two countries.