Bangladesh calls India to extradite Sheikh Hasina, ICT verdict served

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – Bangladesh on Monday has approached India again to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after the ICT awarded her a death sentence.

Dhaka said the request falls under the bilateral treaty, as New Delhi signals continued engagement.

Bangladesh officials in Dhaka have sent a fresh diplomatic note to New Delhi, according to media reports.

The communication was issued shortly after Khalilur Rahman, the High Representative for the Rohingya Issue, returned from engagements in the Indian capital. Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain confirmed on Sunday that Dhaka had contacted India again regarding Hasina’s return, though he declined to elaborate on the contents of the correspondence.

Media mentioned a diplomatic source in New Delhi that the note verbale was dispatched soon after the 7th National Security Advisers’ meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave, which Rahman attended on Thursday.

The renewed push follows the ICT’s ruling last week, which handed down death sentences to Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges linked to crimes against humanity during the July–August unrest last year.

Former police chief and state witness Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received a five-year sentence.

Bangladesh formally urged India to hand over the convicted individuals “without delay”, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Hossain said Dhaka would officially brief New Delhi on its position, adding that circumstances had shifted after the trial concluded.

The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “This is also an obligation for India under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries.”

The statement 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 would continue engaging with Dhaka.

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

It added that New Delhi would work with all stakeholders.

The security analyst ANM Muniruzzaman, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies, said India should respect Bangladesh’s judicial process.

He argued that Hasina’s trial had “gone through all international standards and legal systems” and that the extradition treaty between the two nations covered such cases.

Muniruzzaman added that under international legal norms, countries are expected to return convicted individuals upon formal request, and that India should therefore cooperate with Dhaka’s move.