Strategic Firmness, Aug. 22 -- Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's possible visit to India is fast becoming a defining test of Bangladesh's foreign policy. Days after taking office in February, he received a bilateral invitation from Narendra Modi; Bangladesh has separately been invited to the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12-13 September - not as a bilateral guest, but as BIMSTEC's current chair. The two carry different weight, yet public debate has entangled both with a third, far more charged question: Sheikh Hasina's extradition.

Dhaka has said a ''propitious environment'' is needed for the visit, while pressing New Delhi to expedite Hasina's extradition. India says the request is under legal review. Foreign M...