Dhaka: Bangladesh Sunday said it expected India to expedite the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, saying that besides the legal process, political intent was also necessary for her return.
The remarks came a day after Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said India could not give a timeframe for Hasina’s return as Dhaka’s extradition request was being examined through a legal process involving the courts.
There is certainly a legal process involved, but political intent is also necessary, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told a media briefing at her office.
She expressed hope that India would take steps to expedite the extradition process.
Responding to whether former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could be repatriated under the active extradition treaty between New Delhi and Dhaka, the state minister said certainly.
The accused (Hasina) can be brought back under the treaty, and that process is being taken forward, she said, though some legal experts have questioned whether the treaty applies in her case.
Nobody can give you a timeframe (over Hasina’s return), Trivedi had said on Saturday at a discussion organised by a private think tank in Dhaka.
Again and again, the government of India has replied to this that there is a process, and the process is legal, and it is well structured, he said.
Hasina, 79, has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka on August 5, 2024, after a student-led agitation, dubbed the July Uprising, toppled her Awami League government.
A special tribunal later tried Hasina in absentia and sentenced her to death over the crackdown on the protests. Hasina and her supporters have described it as a kangaroo court.
The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government sought her extradition through a diplomatic note, while India has maintained that the request is being examined in line with established processes.
After coming to power following the February 12 elections, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party government renewed the demand for Hasina’s extradition.
In August, Rahman urged Trivedi to expedite the extradition process, underscoring the need to create a conducive environment for advancing bilateral relations.
Hasina, meanwhile, has said she intends to return to Bangladesh voluntarily by December to face the legal process.
The extradition issue has emerged as a major irritant in India-Bangladesh ties, which deteriorated sharply following Hasina’s ouster.
India extended an invitation to Rahman to attend the BRICS Summit, which was held last month, while a separate bilateral invitation had been in place since February.
Rahman did not attend the summit or visit New Delhi since taking office.
