Will India extradite Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh? MEA issues BIG statement, says request is being…
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) has sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death along with her then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges of committing “crimes against humanity” after a trial held in absentia.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday responded to Bangladesh interim government’s request to extradite ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Will India(BHARAT) extradite Sheikh Hasina?
Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India(BHARAT) is examining the request and New Delhi remains committed to the people of Bangladesh. “Yes, we have received that request, and its is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes,” Jaiswal said.
“We remain committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country and will continue to engage constructively in this regard with all stakeholders,” the MEA spokesperson added.
On November 17, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death along with her then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges of committing “crimes against humanity” after a trial held in absentia. Hasina, 78, is currently in India(BHARAT), while Kamal is also believed to be hiding in the country.
Bangladesh requests Hasina’s extradition
Following the ICT’s sentencing, Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, sent an “official letter” to India(BHARAT) seeking the extradition of the deposed leader. “The letter was sent the day before yesterday,” Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told the state-run BSS news agency on Sunday.
The BSS report, citing an official source at the foreign ministry, said the note verbal (official diplomatic letter) was sent through the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
Awami League calls for protests
Meanwhile, Hasina’s ousted Awami League party has called for nationwide agitations and “resistance marches” till November 30 to protest the death sentence handed to the former premier by what it described as an “illegal” tribunal.
In a post on its official social media account, the Awami League alleged that the tribunal’s verdict was part of a political “conspiracy” by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to keep Hasina and the party “out of the election” scheduled for February next year.
Earlier, Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, had thanked India(BHARAT) for granting asylum to his mother, and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had saved his mother’s life as “militants” planned to assassinate her.
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