MEA says Hasina extradition is a legal matter

New Delhi: India on Friday maintained that the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a "legal matter" that will be handled accordingly, even as it reiterated its desire for a "positive, constructive and forward-looking" relationship with Dhaka following the postponement of bilateral consular talks.

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Responding to media queries during a weekly briefing amid demands from Dhaka for the ousted leader's return, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal kept New Delhi's position brief and anchored in due process.

"Extradition is a legal matter and it will be dealt with accordingly," Jaiswal said.

Addressing the broader trajectory of

India-Bangladesh relations, particularly after the fifth round of the India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue scheduled in Dhaka for November 17-18 was postponed, Jaiswal emphasised that New Delhi continues to engage with Dhaka across multiple institutional frameworks.

"India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh. Accordingly, initiatives have been taken and meetings held under structured mechanisms in areas such as trade, railways, water resources and border management, among others," he stated.

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Confirming that the postponed consular talks will be rescheduled, the spokesperson noted that revised travel arrangements will be on the agenda once both sides finalise a date.

"The next round of the India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue, which will also take up matters relating to revised travel arrangements, will be held on a mutually convenient date. India remains ready to discuss all matters and bilateral issues with Bangladesh through these existing mechanisms, including at the technical level. The Consular Dialogue will be held on a mutually convenient date," Jaiswal added.

This comes as Hasina, who is residing in India, has asked for her passport and national ID card back from the Bangladesh Embassy in New Delhi to facilitate her planned return to the country in December, which the ruling BNP has described as a political stunt, saying that this kind of move misleads the public and aims to create instability in the country.

They believe Sheikh Hasina won't succeed in this attempt, noting that the people of Bangladesh ousted her through a mass uprising, that her time in politics is over, and that legal action will be taken against her.

"Sheikh Hasina is making these moves, such as asking for her passport, to create instability. These actions have been rejected by the people of Bangladesh; she carried out mass killings in Bangladesh and took refuge in India. There is already a national consensus in Bangladesh that Sheikh Hasina's political role here has been rejected. She is accused of crimes against humanity, as well as abductions, murders, and other serious offences. Therefore, she has no chance of entering politics in Bangladesh anymore", Khsirul Kabir Khokon MP, Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told over the phone.

"Unable to tolerate these positive changes, she is making political stunts and making baseless statements. She has no future in Bangladeshi politics-people have already rejected her. Politically, she is a dead horse," Khokon said.

This marks her first such communication since fleeing to India in August 2024 following a deadly uprising that ended her 15-year rule.

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