No passport for Hasina: Humaiun

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir has ruled out issuing a passport or travel document to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, saying Bangladesh will instead seek her return from India under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries.

"We have an extradition treaty for apprehending terrorists and criminals. A passport is not required to bring back terrorists or criminals. It is a matter of handing them over," he told journalists.

Hasina would have to be brought back from New Delhi under the treaty, the state minister said while responding to questions at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday. 

He was there to see off a delegation led by Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Asked about the proposed Bangladesh-China-Myanmar economic corridor, Humaiun said Bangladesh saw no geopolitical complications surrounding the initiative, which he said could transform the region into a major trade and connectivity hub.

He said Bangladesh was interested in joining the proposed corridor but stressed that a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis must come first.

The state minister expressed hope that Liu Haixing's visit would further strengthen bilateral and strategic relations between Bangladesh and China, particularly in political and economic cooperation.

Liu Haixing left Dhaka on Thursday after a three-day visit to Bangladesh.