New Delhi: In a significant development, Bangladesh has “welcomed” its former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s plans to return to Dhaka, saying she must face justice as a death penalty convict. Hasina, 78, has been living in India after she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government in August, 2024 in the face of a massive anti-government agitation.
Reports, quoting close aides to Hasina, had said the former prime minister is preparing to voluntarily return to Dhaka to revive her Awami League party. To recall, in November, 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.
Since the verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law. “We are all prepared to welcome our leader back,” Kazi Nasim Rupak, a member of the publicity sub-committee of the Awami League party, told PTI Videos on Friday.
What Bangladesh Said
Zahed Ur Rahman, an advisor to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rehman, challenged Hasina to bring the best lawyers in the world to Dhaka to defend herself against the alleged “crimes against humanity” charged over her government’s brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.
“We welcome her announcement as we want to ensure justice,” Rahman said at a media briefing, adding that the “people of the country want her death penalty to be upheld for the crimes she committed, and in that case her capital punishment will be executed as the people want to see that.”
“Let her bring the best lawyers in the world,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.
Rehman said that the proceedings at the International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh) (ICT-BD) would remain transparent and could be monitored by observers and broadcast through video coverage. He said it is also possible the court can revise the verdict against Hasina or acquit her.
India Reacts:
“There is no change in our approach to the matter. Any extradition matter is a legal issue, and it will be dealt with accordingly,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
He was responding to a question on the issue.
India and Bangladesh Relationship:
The relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed major downturn after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August, 2024. The two sides initiated efforts to stabilise the relations after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the inauguration of Tarique Rahman as the prime minister in Dhaka on February 17.
Rahman became the prime minister following his party BNP’s landslide victory in the parliamentary polls. Hasina’s Awami League party was barred from contesting the polls.
In April, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visited India as part of efforts to repair the strained bilateral ties following more than 18 months of heightened diplomatic tension.
It was the first high-level visit to India by a senior member of the new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government.
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