'There is no change...': India breaks silence on extradition of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

India has broken its silence on the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Speaking to media on Tuesday (July 15) during weekly press briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the matter is a legal issue and will be dealt accordingly. The MEA clarified that there has been no change in New Delhi's stance on the matter even as the former Bangladeshi PM has openly expressed about her plans to leave India and return to her homeland. It must be noted that New Delhi has maintained its diplomatic ties with Dhaka even after Hasina's ouster and the coming up of fomer Bangladeshi PM Khaleda Zia's party BNP.

“There is no change in our approach to the matter. Any extradition matter is a legal issue, and it will be dealt with accordingly,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters. India has maintained that the extradition demand will be examined in line with judicial and legal processes.

Also Read: Will Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League find space in Tarique Rahman’s ‘new Bangladesh’ amid Jamaat’s rise?

What Bangladesh PM advisor said?

Speaking at a media briefing, Bangladesh Prime Minister's adviser for information and strategy, Zahed Ur Rahman, said the government wants Hasina to return and face the judicial process."We have been trying to bring her back. If she returns, we will welcome her because we want to ensure justice. She has been sentenced to death. If we can bring her back through extradition, that is exactly what we are trying to do," Zahed was quoted as saying by The Business Standard. He also reportedly added that she should face the legal process and “bring the best lawyers in the world.”

Also Read: 'We will welcome her': Bangladesh PM adviser says Sheikh Hasina should return to face trial

What Sheikh Hasina said?

Hasina announced her plans to return to Bangladesh in a recent interview. She told Reuters that she may go back by December along with other senior party colleagues. "They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me...If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed," Hasina said. Stating that she is not afraid of being arrested and jailed, the former PM added that the Tarique Rahman-led government should not suspend the Awami League. "When a government works for a long ⁠time, mistakes can ​happen — no government is above error. But the right to judge the good and bad, the right and wrong of a ​government belongs to the people. They may have convicted me, and I may not be able to ​contest elections. But why should they suspend the Awami League?" she said.

Hasina, 78, has been living in India since she fled Dhaka after she was ousted following a violent student-led protest on August 5, 2024. She was the South Asian nation's longest-serving prime minister. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced Hasina to death in absentia after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity. Following Hasina's ouster, the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus formally banned the Awami League from campaigning, carrying out political activities and contesting elections. It remains the same after new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government came to power and Tarique Rahman became the PM.