BNP To Seek Extradition Of Hasina From India

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 (Bernama) — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), declared the winner of Thursday's general elections, will seek ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's extradition from India, a senior leader said on Friday.

“We will press for her extradition in accordance with the law. It is a matter between the foreign ministry of Bangladesh and the foreign ministry of India. We will urge the government of India to send her back to face trial,” BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed was quoted as saying in local media reports.

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal in November sentenced Hasina, 78, to death in absentia for crimes against humanity.

She has been living in India since her ouster in a mass uprising against her rule in August 2024.

Many key figures in the ousted Awami League regime have fled abroad but face serious charges, including over killings and corruption, in Bangladeshi courts.

The interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus had earlier tried to get Hasina back from India.

The BNP led by Tarique Rahman, the son of former premier Begum Khaleda Zia, is set to form the new government after winning 209 seats in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad.

The main contest was between the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami.

Both parties faced abuses during pro-India Hasina's long rule and were once allies in their struggle.

Jamaat has won 68 seats, while nine seats have gone to its election allies, including the youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP) headed by Nahid Islam, a prominent leader in the anti-Hasina protests.

-- BERNAMA