Bangladesh has once again urged India to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (Img: X)
New Delhi: Bangladesh has once again urged India to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she is set to make her first public appearance in New Delhi today. Dhaka said Hasina must return to face legal proceedings and urged New Delhi not to allow Indian territory to be used for political activities by the former leader.
Hasina is expected to address an event organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi. The programme will mark her first public appearance since she left Bangladesh following the political upheaval that led to the fall of her Awami League government in August 2024.
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Bangladesh officials said the government has repeatedly conveyed its extradition request to India under the existing bilateral extradition arrangement. Authorities maintained that if Hasina returns, she will be taken into custody and legal procedures will be followed in accordance with the country's judicial process.
Dhaka also reiterated that it expects India to ensure Hasina does not engage in political activities while staying on Indian soil.
Responding to the controversy, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the Delhi event is being organised by a private media organisation and has no connection with the Government of India.
The MEA stated that the Centre neither endorses nor is associated with any views expressed during the programme, underlining that it is not a government event.
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Bangladesh has been seeking Hasina's extradition since she was sentenced in absentia by a Bangladeshi court. India has neither accepted nor rejected the request, stating that the matter is being examined by the competent authorities under applicable laws and established legal procedures.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs recently noted that Hasina's stay in India is based on humanitarian considerations while also observing that she has not been provided a political platform by the Indian government.
Bangladesh also clarified that it has no plans to facilitate the return of exiled writer Taslima Nasrin, stating that any request to return would have to follow the country's legal procedures. The remarks came shortly after Nasrin visited Kolkata for the first time in nearly two decades.
