New Delhi:
Headline: India Receives Extradition Request for Ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, Response Uncertain
In the midst of strained bilateral relations, India has confirmed receiving a formal request from Bangladesh to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been residing in India since her ouster in August. This development follows a massive student-led protest that ended Hasina’s 15-year rule in Bangladesh.
The request, sent through a note verbale by the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi to India’s Ministry of External Affairs on December 23, has put India in a diplomatic quandary. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged the receipt of the request but declined to comment further on the matter. “We had confirmed that we have received the request from the Bangladeshi side on Hasina’s extradition. Beyond that, I have nothing further to add,” Jaiswal stated during a weekly briefing.
Sheikh Hasina, 77, fled to India on August 5 after thousands of protesters stormed the prime minister’s palace in Dhaka. She is currently facing multiple charges, including crimes against humanity and fatalities during her rule. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several of her former cabinet members, advisers, and military and civil officials.
The extradition request is seen by some as a form of public posturing by Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, to appease domestic constituencies, particularly the influential student groups. India’s response is complicated by the political nature of the request and the incomplete formalities on Bangladesh’s part. The India-Bangladesh extradition treaty of 2013 includes provisions that allow for the refusal of extradition if the offence is of a political character or if the accusation is not made in good faith.
Despite the tensions, there have been positive developments in bilateral relations. Recently, India and Bangladesh announced the mutual exchange of 185 fishermen who were detained for crossing the international maritime boundary, a move seen as a step towards improving relations.
