New Delhi:
The interim government in Bangladesh has sent a diplomatic note urging India to send deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina back to Dhaka. The 77-year-old Awami League leader has been living in India since August 5, when she fled Bangladesh amid mass protests that toppled her 16-year regime and forced her to flee.
The Dhaka-based International Crime Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants in the name of Sheikh Hasina and her ministers, advisers and former military and civilian officials, accusing them of “crimes against humanity and genocide”.
Touhid Hossain, foreign affairs adviser in the interim government, told reporters: “We have sent a verbal note (diplomatic message) to the Indian government stating that Bangladesh wants her back here for the legal proceedings.”
Earlier, domestic adviser Jahangir Alam said his office had sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate Ms Hasina's extradition. “We have sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway,” he told the media.
Mr Alam said there was an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi. Ms Hasina could be returned to Bangladesh under that arrangement.
The diplomatic message calling for Sheikh Hasina's return comes weeks after Foreign Minister Vikram Misri visited Bangladesh and spoke to chief adviser in the interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Addressing reporters in Dhaka, Mr Misri said he had a frank, frank and constructive exchange of views with his interlocutors and discussed the whole range of issues in the “extremely important bilateral relationship”. He said India had also raised the issue of attacks on minorities, including Hindus, with Bangladesh's leaders.
A statement from the Office of the Chief Advisor said that Sheikh Hasina's stay in India was also discussed. The chief advisor then said: 'Our people are concerned because she makes a lot of statements from there. It creates tensions.'
Ahead of the foreign minister's visit, Ms. Hasina targeted the interim government, accusing Muhammad Yunus of leading a “fascist regime.” In a virtual speech to Awami League supporters in London, she claimed that Muhammad Yunus was the “mastermind” behind the political unrest that ended her regime.
“Since August 5, attacks on minorities and places of worship of Hindus, Christians and Buddhists have become widespread. We condemn it. The Jamaat and terrorists have free rein under the new regime,” she said. “Bangladesh is now in the grip of a fascist regime where people's democratic rights have been erased. Our government's achievements in poverty alleviation, infrastructure development and strengthening democracy were undone under Yunus' leadership,” she added.