India ‘Bound by Treaty’ to Return Hasina: BIPSS Chief

BIPSS President Maj. Gen. (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman

India is “almost legally bound” to extradite ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh under the existing bilateral treaty, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) President Maj. Gen. (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman has said.

Speaking at a session of the Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka, he stated that the extradition treaty between the two countries obligates New Delhi to return any individual convicted under Bangladeshi law.

“We have an extradition treaty… under that treaty India is almost legally bound to send her back,” he said, stressing that the legal framework leaves little room for India to ignore Bangladesh’s request.

Muniruzzaman argued that as a friendly neighbour and regional partner, India should uphold Bangladesh’s judicial processes and respect established international norms. “If India respects international order, then it should respect Bangladesh’s legal systems,” he said, noting that Hasina’s trial had met internationally recognised legal standards.

He further questioned how India would respond if Bangladesh declined to return convicted Indian nationals despite formal extradition requests. “By all accounts, Sheikh Hasina should be returned to Bangladesh,” he said, emphasising reciprocity in legal cooperation.

The plenary session, titled ‘Fractured Orders, Fluid Loyalties: Power Politics in the Post-Alignment Age’, featured speakers from Malaysia, Germany, Brazil, Serbia and the United States, and was moderated by David Patrician of RTL Nord, Germany.

Bangladesh’s first extradition request regarding Hasina remains pending, though New Delhi has acknowledged receiving it. Following the recent verdict, Dhaka urged India to “immediately hand over” Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both convicted of crimes against humanity linked to the July–August mass uprising last year.

On 17 November, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced both to death. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned that granting them shelter would constitute “a grave act of unfriendly conduct and a travesty of justice.”