DHAKA — Bangladesh has again urged India to expedite the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia by a Bangladeshi court, as the two countries discussed strained bilateral ties, Bangladesh’s foreign minister said on Monday.
The request was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, according to Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman. It was Trivedi’s first meeting with Rahman since taking up his post in Dhaka.
“Extradition of convicted Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh came up for discussion. We asked them to expedite the extradition process. We hope India will move in a positive direction on this matter,” Khalilur told reporters, according to The Financial Express.
Hasina, who fled Bangladesh for India in August 2024 after mass protests brought down her government, has remained in India since then. Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her return under the countries’ extradition arrangements.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in July that it had received Bangladesh’s formal extradition request and that it remained under examination, with the matter to be considered in accordance with legal and judicial procedures.
India and Bangladesh have an extradition treaty in force dating from 2013, according to India’s foreign ministry.
Bangladesh’s renewed demand comes days after Dhaka objected to a virtual appearance by Hasina from India on Aug. 5. Khalilur said Bangladesh had already conveyed its position to New Delhi in a letter and that Indian authorities had taken the matter seriously.
The foreign minister also said Bangladesh had asked India to extradite suspects in the killing of Osman Hadi, a convener of the Inquilab Mancha political platform. Dhaka said it had provided documents requested by Indian authorities concerning the suspects.
The Hasina case has remained a sensitive issue in relations between the neighbouring countries. Bangladesh’s government has said it wants her returned through established legal procedures, while India has maintained that extradition requests are legal matters subject to applicable laws and due process.
Trivedi said the meeting with Rahman was cordial and expressed confidence that outstanding issues between the two countries could be addressed. He said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was interested in maintaining good relations with Bangladesh.
As of Tuesday, India had not announced a decision to surrender Hasina, and its July position that the extradition request was under examination remained the latest publicly confirmed status.
