The former prime minister of Bangladesh has fled the country, ending her 15-year regime amid student-public uprising.
Then the interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus took the power. Following Hasina’s ouster on August 5, dozens of cases have been filed on different charges including killings, corruption, and enforced disappearance.
The interim government of Bangladesh has requested to India to extradite her to bring her to justice, but this request faces multiple hurdles, including the bilateral extradition treaty.
Citing people in the known, the Economic Times reported India is unlikely to sacrifice one of its closest allies considering the geopolitical factors.
“As per the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, requests ‘political in nature’ cannot be enforced,” the report referred the treaty.
The media quoted an unnamed ‘highly placed’ source as saying: “Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus regime is using pressure tactics to get Hasina extradited, but any such move will send a wrong signal to Indian allies in the immediate and extended neighborhood.”
Hasina had safeguarded India’s interests, cracked down on radicals and boosted sub-regional cooperation. Considering this, India will study extradition request carefully and this may take months. India maintains that it has a long tradition of receiving guests, including the Dalai Lama.
“It is being felt that false cases will be slapped on Hasina to prosecute her if she returns to Bangladesh under current circumstances, the sources said,” the report furthered.
This is not the first time that Hasina is in exile in India. She was here in exile following her father’s assassination in 1975. Political observers said Hasina’s presence in India will boost the morale of Awami League, which is planning a comeback, the report continued.
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
