Bangladesh: BNP leader calls for PM Modi's invitation to Tarique Rahman's swearing-in

Dhaka: Even as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman prepares to assume office as the next Bangladesh Prime Minister following a landslide victory in the general elections, senior BNP leader ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan expressed hope that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the swearing-in ceremony.

"I don't know exactly what they're doing, but hopefully they'll invite everyone. I don't know exactly, but he (PM Modi) should be invited. It's general courtesy. The organisers will do it. I hope the whole world will be with us," Milan told the media in Dhaka on Saturday.

What did Fakhrul Islam Alamgir say?

Senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday that Sheikh Hasina's extradition would not hamper relations between the two countries. In an exclusive interview with Aaj Tak, Fakhrul Islam stated that any action on Hasina's extradition would be in accordance with due legal process and international norms. He said, "Bangladesh has already requested India to extradite Sheikh Hasina. This will be done in accordance with existing international norms."

Sheikh Hasina has been living in New Delhi since August 2024, when a violent student movement against her government forced her to resign from her post and leave the country. In November 2025, the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh convicted Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death. However, the trial was conducted in Hasina's absence, and she did not have a chance to present her case.

What about Sheikh Hasina's extradition?

When asked whether the incoming BNP government would officially seek Sheikh Hasina's extradition, Fakhrul Islam reiterated that the matter would proceed according to established legal frameworks. He acknowledged that an extradition treaty already exists between Bangladesh and India and stated that they want her returned. The BNP leader stated that the issue of Hasina's extradition will not hinder relations between India and Bangladesh.

He said, "This will not be a hindrance to relations between Bangladesh and India. India has never denied that it has given Sheikh Hasina asylum and has also never stated that it will not extradite her to Bangladesh." Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is one of the BNP's most senior leaders and a close associate of Tarique Rahman. He led the party for several decades during Rahman's exile in England.

The BNP secured a landslide victory in the 2024 Bangladesh parliamentary elections following the student movement. The Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League was banned from participating in electoral activities by the interim government. Previously, another BNP leader, Salahuddin Ahmed, stated that his party would continue to press for Sheikh Hasina's return to power with India through legal and diplomatic channels.