Bangladesh on Wednesday said India did not respond to its earlier request for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but Bangladesh is expecting a response from India as “the situation is different now” after the judicial process was completed and the former prime minister was convicted.
The Mohammad Yunus-led interim government had last week sent an official letter to India demanding the extradition of Hasina, 78. On November 17, the special tribunal sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity.
India on Wednesday said it is considering Bangladesh’s request to extradite Hasina and is committed to ensuring the best interests of the people of that country.
M Tauheed Hossain, adviser on foreign affairs in Bangladesh’s interim government, told reporters that the government was awaiting India’s response to its latest request for Hasina’s extradition.
He said, I do not expect that they (India) will respond within a week to Dhaka’s request, but we are hopeful that we will get a response. Hussain said Bangladesh had previously requested India to deport Hasina, but had not received any response. Now the situation is different because the judicial process has been completed and Hasina has been convicted, he said.
Hossain said that following the verdict given by the International Criminal Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD), a formal extradition request was sent through the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. He said that this request was made under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries.
Bangladesh had sent an official letter seeking Hasina’s extradition in December last year. At that time India had only acknowledged its receipt and did not make any further comment.
Along with Hasina, the tribunal had also sentenced former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Both were tried in their absence. Hasina is currently in India. It is believed that Kamal is also in India.
The third accused, former police officer Chaudhry Abdullah Al Mamun, who appeared as a government witness, was sentenced to five years in prison. Legal adviser Asif Nazrul said on November 20 that the interim government was also considering approaching the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring back “fugitive convicts”.
India on Wednesday said it is considering Bangladesh’s request to extradite Hasina and is committed to ensuring the best interests of the people of that country.
In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the request was being considered under judicial and internal legal processes. “We are committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusivity and stability, and we will continue to engage constructively with all stakeholders in this regard,” he said.