India says has received BD request for Hasina’s extradition

ISLAMABAD: India has confirmed receiving an official request from the interim Bangladesh government, led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, seeking the extradition of ousted prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has disclosed the development and said that currently, New Delhi has no comment to offer on the matter. “We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today (Monday) in connection with an extradition request. Currently, we have no comment to offer on this matter,” an Indian MEA spokesperson said. A Note Verbale is a formal diplomatic communication written in the third person and remains unsigned.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s de facto Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain said the country has sent a diplomatic note to India’s Foreign Ministry for Hasina’s extradition. “We have sent a Note Verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants Hasian back here for the judicial process,” Hossain told reporters.

Hasina, 77, fled to New Delhi from Bangladesh on August 5 following massive protests that toppled her 16-year regime. Currently, she faces many court cases over the deaths, including some on charges of crimes against humanity. Hasina and her close aides are already facing arrest warrants by the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal and the Yunus government has sought help from Interpol for her arrest. Bangladesh Home Adviser Jahangir Alam said on Monday that his office sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premier’s extradition from India. “We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway,” he told reporters. Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under it. Interestingly the treaty was inked by the Hasina government with India.