‘Delhi not obliged to send back Hasina even if Dhaka demands’

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been staying in India since the fall of her government in Bangladesh on August 5 this year. Many cases were filed against her and her colleagues in the former government and the Awami League over deaths during the quota reform movement that toppled Awami League-led government.

Three days after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, an interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, has assumed office. Except for the Awami League, all other parties including BNP and Jamaat have expressed support to the interim government.

In this circumstance, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir recently urged India to extradite Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh under an extradition treaty signed by the two countries in 2013. Mirza Fakhrul also said Sheikh Hasina would be tried as a murder accused after the extradition.

Indian Bangla newspaper Anandabazar said in a report that the Indian government would not hand over Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh, considering current authorities as hostile to her.

The newspaper said the 2013 treaty has a provision that empowers the signatory two countries to refuse an extradition request if the recipient country finds the extradition politically-motived or there is any risk of life or long imprisonment for the person in question.

Besides, the treaty has no significance in extraditing Sheikh Hasina as it was signed with the aim of extraditing militants and smugglers, the report added.

According to Anandabazar, the Indian foreign ministry did not give a reply to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s demand as he is not a part of the interim government.

However, Indian authorities may have a plan to send Sheikh Hasina to a third country as her stay in India might give rise to anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh.

The report claimed BNP has not taken a specific decision on the demand for bringing back Sheikh Hasina as the interim government is not supposed to make such a political decision. The main duty of the interim government is to make an election-friendly environment for the next parliamentary election, it said.

BNP might include the trial of Sheikh Hasina in the manifesto for the next election, the report said.