Last Updated on September 17, 2026 8:34 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain, Dhaka
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s adviser and Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Thursday (Sept 17) urged India to ensure that fugitives and convicted individuals staying on Indian soil are not allowed to make attempts to “create instability” in Bangladesh. The allegation that India denied several times.
Amin raised the issue during a courtesy meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Thursday morning, September 17. Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe was also present at the meeting.
According to an official account of the meeting, Amin asked the Indian envoy to ensure that what the Bangladesh side described as “fugitive allies of fascism” and people convicted by Bangladeshi courts who are staying in India cannot undertake activities aimed at destabilising the country. The reports did not name individuals while detailing Amin’s remarks, nor did they quote Trivedi responding specifically to the request.
The remarks come amid Dhaka’s continuing efforts to secure the return of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other former Awami League leaders who Bangladesh officials say are in India. Just two days earlier, Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said the extradition of Hasina, former Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and other convicted fugitives was an important issue in improving India-Bangladesh relations.
Bangladesh has formally sought Hasina’s extradition, while India has said the request is being examined in accordance with established legal and judicial procedures. New Delhi has not publicly announced a final decision on the request.
The issue has acquired fresh significance after Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on September 15 sentenced Quader and six other former Awami League and affiliated organisation leaders to death in a case linked to alleged atrocities during the July 2024 uprising. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it would pursue the necessary legal and diplomatic steps for bringing convicted fugitives back once it receives the relevant court documents.
Thursday’s meeting, however, covered a wider range of bilateral issues beyond the fugitives. Amin and Trivedi discussed improving Bangladesh-India relations and expanding people-to-people contacts. The two sides also spoke about resolving outstanding challenges through dialogue and cooperation and taking bilateral ties forward on the basis of mutual respect, equality, fairness and justice.
The discussions also covered greater cooperation in trade, business and investment, along with education, healthcare, sports, culture and tourism. Both sides identified information technology, innovation and science and technology as areas with potential for deeper cooperation.
The meeting comes as New Delhi and Dhaka seek to rebuild momentum in ties following strains after the political upheaval of 2024. Trivedi, who took charge as India’s High Commissioner in Dhaka in June this year, has since held a series of meetings with senior members of the Bangladesh government aimed at expanding bilateral engagement.