Dhaka sends fresh request to Delhi for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition

DHAKA: Days after deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received a death sentence from the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal, the interim government of Bangladesh has written to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs seeking her extradition.

As per a report in the Dhaka Tribune, officials confirmed that a new diplomatic note was sent to New Delhi shortly after High Representative for the Rohingya Issue Khalilur Rahman’s return from an engagement in the Indian capital.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain told mediapersons on Sunday that Dhaka had formally communicated with India again regarding Hasina’s return but did not disclose further details.

A diplomatic source in New Delhi informed United News of Bangladesh that the note verbale was dispatched soon after the 7th National Security Advisers’ meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave, which Khalilur Rahman attended on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the ICT delivered its verdict, sentencing Hasina and the country’s former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in a case related to crimes against humanity during last year’s July-August unrest.

Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, a state witness, received a five-year prison term.

Following the ruling, Dhaka urged India to hand over both convicted individuals without delay, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Touhid Hossain said Bangladesh would formally notify India of its position, noting that the situation had changed since the conclusion of the trial.

“This is also an obligation for India under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries,” the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement quoted by the Dhaka Tribune.

It added that “It would be a grave act of unfriendly conduct and a travesty of justice for any other country to grant shelter to these individuals convicted of crimes against humanity.”

India acknowledged the tribunal’s decision and said it remains committed to engaging constructively with Bangladesh.

“As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement.

It added that New Delhi would continue to work with all stakeholders to support these objectives.

Security analyst and Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies president ANM Muniruzzaman said at an event in Dhaka that India should honour Bangladesh’s legal processes.

He stated that Hasina’s trial had “gone through all international standards and legal systems” and that respecting those norms would require her return to Bangladesh, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.

He also noted that the extradition treaty between the two countries includes provisions relevant to such cases.

Muniruzzaman further said that under international legal standards, countries are expected to return convicted individuals when formally requested.
He added that by those measures, New Delhi should abide by the treaty and cooperate with Dhaka’s request. (ANI)