After taking refuge in India, the situation regarding the next step of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is not clear. Sheikh Hasina has been in India since August 5. She is taking refuge here due to increasing violence in Bangladesh and threat to her life. However, even after more than two weeks, Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India is becoming a diplomatic challenge. She has so far failed to get refuge in Britain or any other European country.
India’s Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had told the Parliament that Sheikh Hasina is in India and needs help. But, Hasina’s long stay in India is creating diplomatic problems for the government. Especially when Bangladesh has started demanding her extradition. However, Bangladesh has not yet formally requested extradition. According to experts, despite doing so, India is not bound to accept it.
India is currently standing at a delicate juncture where it has to strike a balance between international diplomatic relations and Hasina’s humanitarian matters. The time limit for Hasina’s stay in India is not yet decided. This has raised many questions about the future of India-Bangladesh relations.
During a speech in Dhaka, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded the extradition of Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh. While doing so, Mirza Fakhrul said that Sheikh Hasina should face justice. He appealed to India and said, ‘We request you to hand her over to the Bangladesh government in a legal manner. The people of this country have decided to prosecute her. Let her face it.’
According to reports, Mirza Fakhrul has also accused Sheikh Hasina of conspiring to weaken the ongoing movement in Bangladesh by staying in India.
This demand has come at a time when a day earlier a complaint was filed against Sheikh Hasina in a crime tribunal in a murder case. Apart from this, many other cases have also been registered against Sheikh Hasina and officials of her tenure across Bangladesh.
Protests are intensifying across the country demanding prosecution of Sheikh Hasina. After which the political atmosphere in Bangladesh is getting heated regarding her possible extradition.