'Will Serve Note Of Urgency, If...': Bangladesh Pushes for Hasina’s Extradition

New Delhi: Continuing its efforts to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has said that it will wait for India's response for a “certain time” and if nothing materialises within “natural time”, it will serve a note of urgency to the Indian government. 

During a press briefing, Foreign ministry spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said, “The diplomatic note was served on Monday. As far as I know, there has been no response from India in the government channel. We won’t make any comment in this regard right now. Rather, we will wait for India’s response. Our next course of action will be decided based on that response.” 

He further said, “As far as I remember there is no time limit in the extradition treaty. So we have to wait for the response from the Indian government. We will wait for a certain time. There is a natural time to respond to anything. If we don’t get any response within that time, we will serve a note of urgency. We will let them know that we are expecting a response in this regard. The note was served only yesterday. So it’s difficult to talk about the next step right now.”

'No Comment to Offer': India on Bangladesh's Request

This comes after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) refrained from commenting on the issue after it confirmed on Monday of diplomatic communication from Bangladesh interim government regarding the extradition of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

While reacting to the development, MEA on Monday had said that it has “no comments” to offer at the moment on the matter.  

On Monday (December 23), the foreign ministry of Bangladesh, through its mission in New Delhi, had sent a Note Verbale to the Indian government, seeking the repatriation of Hasina for judicial proceedings in Bangladesh.

Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests that toppled her 16-year regime. This was communicated under the extradition treaty between the two neighbouring countries.

India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty

Notably, India and Bangladesh had signed an extradition treaty in 2013, which was later amended in 2016, providing a legal framework for such requests.

Meanwhile, Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for "crimes against humanity and genocide".

“We have sent a note verbale (diplomatic message) to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process,” Foreign Affairs Adviser or de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office.

The same day, Bangladesh Home Advisor Jahangir Alam also mentioned that an existing extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi would allow Hasina's return to Bangladesh under the terms of the agreement.

Yunus Expresses Concern on Hasina’s Statement

Amid ongoing strains in India-Bangladesh relations, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, raised concerns during a meeting with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri regarding former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ’s statements made from India.

“Our people are concerned because she is making many statements from there. It creates tensions,” Yunus said, according to an official statement.