'Adjust to new realities': Bangladesh wants India to extradite Sheikh Hasina soon, but says 'our ties...'

While the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina remains the bone of contention in the relations between Bangladesh and India, Dhaka has now expressed its confidence that this issue won't derail the ties. This comes weeks after Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Hasina was sentenced by a tribunal court for action against humanity in August 2024. Even as Dhaka has urged New Delhi to extradite the ousted PM, the latest statement comes as a signal that Muhammad Yunus-led interim government wants good relations with India as well.

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In a statement, the interim government’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Mohammad Touhid Hossain noted that relations with India are based on long-term strategic interests. "I think our relations won’t be stuck on one issue alone," he told reporters, adding that since Hasina is now a declared convict, Bangladesh expects swift action from New Delhi. Bangladesh formally submitted the extradition request last week through its High Commission in New Delhi under an existing treaty. "India needs some time to adjust to the new realities," he said. "We would like to have better working relations with India based on interest," Hossain added.

On Nov 17, the ICT convicted Hasina of crimes against humanity, ruling that she orchestrated a brutal state crackdown in 2024 against the protesting students. The tribunal court sentenced her to death. The trial was held in her absence and the verdict marked the first time a former Bangladeshi leader has been found guilty of such offences. India 's Ministry of External Affairs said it had "noted" the verdict on Hasina, adding: “As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh... We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, in its statement, the Awami League not only rejected the verdict but also called the upcoming elections a farce. "As part of that conspiracy, they staged this mockery of a trial in their own manufactured court. The Awami League is not only rejecting the illegal ICT verdict, but is also working at the grassroots, holding discussions with political leaders, stakeholders and people from all walks of life to break the web of plots woven by this occupying force. It is now clear to everyone that the Yunus clique is engaged in anti-state conspiracies...A staged election excluding the pro-liberation forces, the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina will not be allowed in Bangladesh. It will be resisted at any cost."

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Earlier, Bangladesh's former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, in a new book, had claimed that Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman acted as the CIA's agent and orchestrated the coup. Calling the army chief the “main plotter”, Kamal accused the US of destabilizing Bangladesh, claiming that America doesn't want “too many powerful heads of state in South Asia.” He named Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Sheikh Hasina in the list of powerful leaders in South Asia. He also repeated Hasina's claims that the US wants St Martin’s Island from Bangladesh.