India reportedly set two conditions for the return of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh. New Delhi wants the Bangladesh Army to use a military aircraft for her travel. They also seek guarantees that she gets a fair trial and the right to appeal her current death sentence.
Even as India maintains that the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a 'legal matter' that will be handled accordingly, New Delhi is reportedly exploring ways to send the former Bangladeshi PM back to Dhaka. New Delhi, reportedly, is said to have set two conditions for Tarique Rahman-led government before agreeing to her return. According to a report by BBC Bangla, India wants Bangladesh to send a military aircraft to bring Hasina back from New Delhi. The proposal also comes with demands concerning her safety and the legal proceedings she could face after returning.
Sheikh Hasina, who is currently 'believed' to be residing in India, has indicated she wants to return to Bangladesh in December and has even applied for a passport. The government in Bangladesh has said there is no question of her being given a passport to return. What are the two conditions? According to a report by BBC Bangla, India's first condition is that the Bangladesh Army should take responsibility for bringing Hasina back. New Delhi reportedly prefers that she be flown to Dhaka in a military aircraft, similar to the one she used to arrive in India after leaving Bangladesh in August 2024.
The second condition reportedly concerns the legal process awaiting Hasina in Bangladesh. India wants Dhaka to guarantee her the right to appeal against her death sentence and face a fresh trial in connection with allegations related to the July 2024 killings. The conditions are part of India's reported efforts to find a way out of the diplomatic uncertainty surrounding Hasina's stay in the country. However, the proposal and conditions have not been independently confirmed. On Friday, responding to media queries during a weekly briefing amid demands from Dhaka for the ousted leader's return, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal kept New Delhi's position brief and anchored in due process. 'Extradition is a legal matter and it will be dealt with accordingly,' Jaiswal said. The BBC Bangla report comes as Hasina, believed to be residing in India, had asked for her passport and national ID card back from the Bangladesh Embassy in New Delhi to facilitate her planned return to the country in December, which the ruling BNP has described as a political stunt, saying that this kind of move misleads the public and aims to create instability in the country. "Sheikh Hasina is making these moves, such as asking for her passport, to create instability.
These actions have been rejected by the people of Bangladesh; she carried out mass killings in Bangladesh and took refuge in India. There is already a national consensus in Bangladesh that Sheikh Hasina's political role here has been rejected. She is accused of crimes against humanity, as well as abductions, murders, and other serious offences. Therefore, she has no chance of entering politics in Bangladesh anymore", Khsirul Kabir Khokon MP, Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told ANI over the phone.