Bangladesh’s main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has demanded the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India. BNP says that she should be extradited so that she can return to the country and face murder and other cases.
In the wake of the violent student movement in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh and came to India on 5 August. 450 people died in the protests that lasted for a month, due to which three investigations have been started against Sheikh Hasina.
There is a repeated demand in Bangladesh that Sheikh Hasina, who is living in India, should be sent back to Bangladesh. BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said in his demand to India, ‘Our demand is that you should hand her over to the Bangladesh government in a legal manner.’
Alamgir said that India has given asylum to Hasina, which is not consistent with its commitment to democratic values. He said, ‘While staying there, she (Hasina) has conspired to suppress many movements in Bangladesh.’
BNP General Secretary Alamgir alleged that Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League was hatching a conspiracy to prove the victory of students in New Delhi as false.
He said, ‘I am saying this strongly and we want to make it clear that India will not get the love of our people for giving shelter to the enemy of Bangladesh.’
Extradition Treaty between India and Bangladesh
India and Bangladesh signed an extradition treaty in 2013 under which both countries extradite fugitives who have fled from each other’s countries.
However, bilateral extradition treaties do not apply to politically connected people unless the fugitive is facing serious charges such as murder.
It is being said that India can deny this demand of Bangladesh by citing Article 8 of the Extradition Treaty. Article 8 states that if the demand for extradition is not made with ‘good intentions or in the interest of justice’, then it can be denied.
BNP chief and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia says that Sheikh Hasina’s crimes are extraditable and hence she should be sent back to Bangladesh from India. Khaleda Zia was released from house arrest after Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and left the country.
‘India’s big mistake…’
Another BNP leader Abdul Moin Khan has said that instead of strengthening relations with all the people of Bangladesh, India maintained friendship with only one person which is a big political mistake of India.
He said, ‘India’s foreign policy giants have made a huge mistake. They promoted and maintained friendship between the two governments, not the friendship between the people of the two countries. This is a policy mistake. The Indian government mistakenly decided to trust only one person.’
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)