Bangladesh: Demands India's extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

 Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Islamabad (Point News Today/ Pakistan Point News - 24th December, 2024 ) : Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry said on Monday evening that it has formally requested India to deport former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It should be noted that Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country last August and is facing multiple charges of crimes against humanity in her home country, had reached India.

Relations between the two South Asian neighbors have been tense since the former prime minister sought refuge in India during violent student-led protests against Hasina's government in Dhaka.

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What did the parties say about this?

Towhid Hossain, the leader who took over the responsibilities of the Foreign Ministry in Bangladesh's interim government, said on Monday evening that a "verbal note" had been sent to the Indian government, stating that "the Bangladesh government wants to bring her (Hasina) back here for judicial proceedings."

"Towhid Hossain did not elaborate on the judicial proceedings and the cases against her, but last month a case was registered against Sheikh Hasina in a Dhaka court on multiple charges including "genocide, murder and crimes against humanity" and the court had also summoned her for appearance.

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A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi confirmed that it had received a request from Dhaka for Hasina's extradition, but declined to comment on it.

The spokesperson said, “We confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today regarding the extradition request. We have nothing to comment on the matter at this time.”

Why has the extradition request been made?

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, said last month that he would demand that India hand over Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh to face trial for alleged crimes including mass detention and extrajudicial killings of political opponents.

It should be noted that the domestic war crimes court in Dhaka has already issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her close associates in this regard. The Bangladesh government has also appealed to the international police organization Interpol to help arrest Hasina.

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It should be noted that while in New Delhi, Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly criticized the Muhammad Yunus administration and accused it of failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus.

India has also been criticizing Bangladesh from time to time in this regard, in response to which Bangladesh said that incidents of attacks on Hindus are being exaggerated and India itself is notorious for atrocities against its minorities.

It should be noted that tensions have increased recently after the arrest of a Hindu religious leader in Bangladesh.

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In addition to emergency medical visas, India has also stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshi citizens and many Indian citizens working on infrastructure projects have left Bangladesh due to security threats.

The formal extradition request comes two weeks after the Indian Foreign Secretary visited Bangladesh, during which both countries said they were keen to resolve diplomatic disputes and move forward with more constructive ties.

This was the first high-level visit by an Indian official since Hasina Wajid’s 15-year rule ended.

Rising tensions between India and Bangladesh

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina fled Bangladesh by helicopter after a mob of violent protesters surrounded her official residence on August 5.

Dozens of her allies have since been detained for their involvement in a police crackdown that left more than 700 people dead.