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Bangladesh is pursuing a legal process with India to bring back former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal, Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said on Monday (August 17).
Speaking to reporters, the chief prosecutor said Bangladesh does not have specific information about the exact status under which Hasina is staying in India or the legal process governing her stay there.
He said the Bangladesh government has already submitted an extradition request to India and is taking necessary steps through legal channels to bring her back to the country.
Commenting on an Indian media report suggesting that court permission might be required regarding Hasina, Aminul Islam said the report did not clarify whether she had been granted political asylum in India or what her exact status was.
“Bangladesh still does not clearly know under what status Sheikh Hasina is staying in India,” he said, adding that it was therefore unclear what the report meant by requiring permission from an Indian court.
Asked whether Hasina’s case was connected to the legal proceedings involving Salahuddin Ahmed in Meghalaya, the chief prosecutor said there was no connection between the two matters.
He said Salahuddin Ahmed was abducted from Bangladesh and taken to India in 2015. He was later found in Shillong and was acquitted in a case filed against him before eventually returning to Bangladesh.
The chief prosecutor also said sufficient evidence had been presented before the tribunal against seven accused, including former minister and Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, whose party’s activities are currently banned, over their alleged roles in the July uprising.
He claimed that around 1,400 people were killed and about 30,000 people were left disabled during the July uprising, and said the accused must be held responsible for the alleged crimes.
He added that they expected the tribunal to impose the maximum punishment on the accused.
