Govt vows to continue efforts to extradite Hasina from India: Shama Obaed

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has reaffirmed Dhaka’s commitment to securing the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, stating the process remains active and ongoing.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, she said the current administration is determined to bring Hasina back to face legal proceedings in Bangladesh.

“The current government is making efforts to bring Sheikh Hasina back, and those efforts will continue,” she said when asked whether Bangladesh would renew its request to India for her extradition.

The state minister said the newly elected government is committed to ensuring justice for incidents over the past 17 years, including the deaths of civilians and children during the July Uprising in 2024.

Bangladesh had previously sent a formal request to India in November last year, seeking Hasina’s extradition for a second time following a verdict by International Crimes Tribunal 1.

On November 17, the tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in a case related to crimes against humanity during the July to August mass uprising. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who testified as a state witness, was sentenced to five years in prison.

Addressing broader bilateral issues, Shama Obaed said Bangladesh continues to engage India on several matters of concern.

“We are asking for diesel, water, and we want the killings along the border to stop,” she said. She added that the Indian government has indicated its interest in maintaining constructive ties with Bangladesh’s new administration based on mutual respect.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma paid a courtesy call on Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday.

During the meeting, both sides discussed strengthening financial and economic cooperation. Talks covered collaboration in the financial sector, opportunities in the digital economy and artificial intelligence, and improving the ease of doing business to attract more investment and deepen economic engagement between the two neighbours.