Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday reiterated that the government will definitely try to bring back ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India if the legal system wants.
“It is better not to speculate. There are legal processes. If our legal system wants, we will definitely try (to bring her back),” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked about the current status of Sheikh Hasina in India, the foreign affairs adviser said it would be better to ask India about it.
After the interim government revoked all diplomatic passports, questions have now arisen as to how long Sheikh Hasina can stay in India and whether she will face a possible extradition.
The approval for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to go to India was granted at short notice, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Adviser Touhid said it is up to India whether they will hand her over or not, but noted that there is an agreement.
He said if a question comes from a legal process and if the laws and court tell them, they can seek her back.
Among the SAARC member countries, India has extradition treaties with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. India has an extradition arrangement with Sri Lanka.
On 28 July 2016, Bangladesh and India signed an agreement to amend Article 10 (3) of the bilateral Extradition Treaty to facilitate expeditious extradition of fugitive criminals between the two countries.
Sheikh Hasina is facing a number of cases including over murders since the formation of an interim government on August 8 after her resignation on August 5.
On signed MoUs with India, including the MoU on the railway sector, the foreign affairs adviser said MoUs are not legally binding, and there are always scopes for reviewing to ensure interests. He said MoUs are not agreements and they can see whether Bangladesh’s interests are protected.
