Nothing doing if India doesn't extradite Hasina

Bangladesh's interim foreign affairs adviser, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, has said Dhaka has little scope to force the return of deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina unless New Delhi agrees to extradite her.

Speaking to reporters at the foreign ministry on Wednesday, Hossain acknowledged Bangladesh's limitations, stating that India's consent remains the only determining factor in possible Hasina repatriation.

"If India does not agree to send her back, then there is nothing we can really do," he told the inquisitive journalists. "We can only try to convince them. Beyond that, no action is realistically possible."

His comments come a week after Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar suggested Hasina's continued stay was a matter of her personal preference. Jaishankar indicated that the former leader had taken refuge in India due to political circumstances in Bangladesh, noting that "what happens to her is a decision she has to make".

Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year following a student-led mass uprising that toppled her long-serving government. She has since remained on Indian soil, while relations between Dhaka and New Delhi face growing pressure over her status.

Last month, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal handed down a death sentence to Hasina, convicting her of crimes against humanity linked to alleged killings during the final phase of her rule. The interim government has since issued diplomatic notes requesting India to return her under the extradition framework. New Delhi, however, has not yet responded formally.

Jaishankar, when asked whether Hasina would be permitted to stay in India indefinitely, avoided a direct reply. "She came here under certain circumstances, and those circumstances clearly influence what may follow," he said, adding that India remains "a well-wisher of Bangladesh".

Tensions over Hasina's extradition coincide with growing international scrutiny of Bangladesh's security apparatus. Responding to a question about UN recommendations regarding reform of security agencies, Hossain claims the elite-force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) had undergone significant transformation.

"There were incidents of human-rights violations under the previous regime, but major improvements have taken place," he says. "Every country has security institutions like DGFI," he adds.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com