Dhaka’s letter to Delhi to return Sheikh Hasina

Last Updated on December 24, 2024 7:00 am

The Ministry of External Affairs has sent a letter to India to return former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in a student uprising. The country’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed this information on Monday (December 23).

It said that India has received a formal letter from the interim government of Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus regarding the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

At a briefing in Delhi, Jaiswal said, “I confirm that we have received a diplomatic note from the Bangladesh High Commission today requesting her extradition. However, we have no comment on this matter at this time.”

This afternoon, the interim government’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain confirmed to the media that a letter was sent to India to return Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier in the morning, at a medal ceremony on the occasion of BGB Day in Peelkhana, Home Affairs Advisor Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury had said, ‘A letter has been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take necessary steps to contact India to bring Sheikh Hasina back to the country for extradition.’

When asked by what means Sheikh Hasina would be sent back, he told reporters, ‘We have a prisoner exchange agreement with India. She can be sent back as per the prisoner exchange agreement.’

The International Crimes Tribunal issued an arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina on October 17 in the July-August genocide case. After that, various legal steps were taken to bring her back to the country. On November 13, the prosecution requested the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take action regarding the issuance of an Interpol red notice to arrest Sheikh Hasina. After that, the IGP’s office contacted Interpol.