B'desh hopes India will respond to its communications on Hasina's extradition: Minister

Dhaka, Jul 16 (PTI) Bangladesh on Thursday expressed hope that India will respond to its communications seeking the extradition of the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others, who have either been convicted or are facing trial in the country. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also told reporters that Hasina has no legal scope to surrender and she would be arrested immediately upon her return to Bangladesh. "We hope that India will respond to our repeated communications and letters regarding Sheikh Hasina and other accused persons who are currently there and who have either been convicted or are facing trial in Bangladesh. We expect them to expedite the process through diplomatic channels and facilitate their return,” she said. Hasina, the 78-year-old daughter of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was toppled in a violent student-led street protest on August 5, 2024. She has been living in India since she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government. In November last, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Hasina has dismissed the death penalty, criminal convictions and charges against her as "politically motivated". Since the verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law. Last week, sources close to Hasina said she is preparing to return to Dhaka by December. It is a completely voluntary decision, they added. “Since a sentence has already been passed, an accused person no longer has any legal opportunity to surrender. Therefore, whenever she returns to Bangladesh, she will be arrested. That is what the law requires,” Shama said. The junior minister said the issue involving Hasina should not be viewed as an obstacle to Bangladesh's bilateral relations with India. "I do not think the Sheikh Hasina issue will disrupt relations between Bangladesh and India. Bilateral relations will remain in place, and relations between the two countries are always multi-dimensional," she said. Shama on Monday said that Hasina will be jailed upon her return to Bangladesh. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's adviser for information and strategy, Zahed Ur Rahman, "welcomed" Hasina's plan to return home, asserting that she must face justice as a death penalty convict. He, however, said that it is also possible the court can revise the verdict against Hasina or acquit her. "That too could happen,” he said, adding that the government was not under any pressure over her planned return. PTI AR ZH ZH