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Dhaka: The Bangladesh government does not have specific information about the exact legal or immigration status under which former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is staying in India, International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam has said.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, he said Bangladesh has already formally requested India to extradite Sheikh Hasina and is following the necessary legal procedures to bring her back to the country.
Asked about an Indian media report suggesting that approval from an Indian court may be required to bring Hasina back to Bangladesh, the chief prosecutor said the report did not clearly state whether she had been granted political asylum in India or what kind of legal status she currently holds there. Therefore, he said, it would not be appropriate to comment based on that report.
He further said Bangladesh still does not know with certainty what status Sheikh Hasina has in India. As a result, it is also unclear in what context the report referred to the need for court approval.
Responding to a question about whether the extradition process for Sheikh Hasina is related to the presence of BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed in Meghalaya, Aminul Islam said the two matters are completely separate and have no connection.
He said Salahuddin Ahmed was abducted from Bangladesh and taken to India in 2015. He was later rescued in Shillong. After being acquitted in a case filed there, he returned to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the chief prosecutor said sufficient evidence has been presented before the tribunal against seven accused, including former minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, in a crimes against humanity case related to the July mass uprising.
According to him, around 1,400 people were killed and nearly 30,000 people were permanently disabled in violence during the July movement. He said the accused bear responsibility for these incidents and that the prosecution expects the tribunal to impose the maximum punishment on them.
