'Hand her over in a legal way': BNP asks India to extradite Sheikh Hasina for trial in Bangladesh

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Aug 21, 2024, 7:40 AM IST

Bangladesh's main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has called on India to extradite the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to face trial in connection with murder and other charges. These cases have been registered against her since she fled the country on August 5 following a student-led uprising.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the plea in Dhaka on Tuesday while paying tribute to the party's founder, Ziaur Rahman. "It is our call to you that you should hand her over to government of Bangladesh in a legal way. The people of this country have given the decision for her trial. Let her face that trial," he said.

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Alamgir also criticized India's decision to allow Hasina to seek refuge, arguing that it contradicts India's commitment to democratic principles. "Staying there, she has started various plots to thwart the revolution that happened in Bangladesh," he added.

Bangladesh and India have an existing extradition treaty, which requires both countries to hand over individuals facing court proceedings for any "extraditable crime," including financial offenses punishable by at least one year in prison. The BNP has asserted that the cases filed against Hasina, including murder and extortion, fall under this category.

However, the treaty includes an exemption for cases deemed "political in nature," though this exemption does not extend to those charged with serious crimes like murder. According to reports, India can refuse any extradition request by citing Article 8 of the treaty, which allows signatories to reject requests not made in good faith or in the interest of justice.

The BNP Secretary General accused Hasina's Awami League of continuing to conspire from New Delhi to falsify the outcome of the student-led uprising.

"I am saying this strongly, and we want to make it clear that I do not think that India can get much love from the people by sheltering the enemy of the people of Bangladesh, who had to flee from the country," Alamgir warned.

Meanwhile, the Awami League has condemned the cases registered against Hasina by Bangladesh's interim government, dismissing them as "false and politically motivated." The political situation in Bangladesh remains tense as the BNP intensifies its calls for legal action against the exiled former Prime Minister.

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