Bangladesh’s interim government revoked the diplomatic passport of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina here on Thursday, media reports said.
Bangladesh’s previous prime minister, Hasina, fled to India after being forced to resign due to a student-led popular movement on August 5.
According to Indian visa rules, Bangladeshi residents with diplomatic or official passports are entitled for visa-free entrance and stays of up to 45 days.
As of yesterday, Hasina had already spent 18 days in India.
According to government authorities, she only has one passport, which is a diplomatic passport issued in her name.
Terminating her diplomatic passport and visa privileges may put her at risk of extradition, Daily Star reported.
The extradition of Hasina, who is facing 51 charges, including 42 for murder, is consistent with the legal framework of the extradition pact struck by Bangladesh and India.
The treaty, agreed in 2013 and modified in 2016, states that “extradition may be refused if the offence for which it is requested is of a political character.”
It also states that certain acts, such as murder, “shall not be regarded as offences of a political character” under the treaty.
However, one of the reasons for the refusal of extradition is that the accusations being filed were not “made in good faith, in the interest of justice.”
A former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, who preferred anonymity, told this publication that, regardless of the law, the decision to extradite Hasina will ultimately be a “political call.”
“The question to be answered is how strong the economic linkages between India and Bangladesh are, which will ensure that Hasina does not hang like an albatross by the neck of bilateral ties for the bigger interests of both countries,” the career diplomat said.
Professor Sreeradha Dutta, a professor of international affairs at India’s OP Jindal Global University who has conducted extensive research on Bangladeshi democracy, stated that extradition will be neither straightforward nor quick.
“Bangladesh can request extradition, but I believe it will become a long-drawn judicial process. Even if Bangladesh revokes her passport, that might have no implication for India. India will question the decision and its legitimacy,” said Professor Dutta.
“Since a government politically opposed to Sheikh Hasina is the one prosecuting her, it might be perceived that she is fleeing political persecution and a threat to life. We have a history of looking after our friends,” she added.
Another Indian diplomat who worked in Dhaka in the 1990s stated that India faces a conundrum in that it must retain connections with whoever controls power in Bangladesh while not appearing to abandon a long-standing friend like Hasina.
He stated that there are enough linkages between Bangladesh and India’s economies to prevent any tectonic shift in their relations.
In an interview with Reuters on August 16, Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid stated that if the country’s home and law ministries decide, “we have to ask for her… return to Bangladesh.”
Responding to a question about the status of Hasina’s stay in India, India’s External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told a media briefing on August 16 that her entry into India was granted on short notice.
“Extradition and other such issues are consular matters that are discussed regularly at the consular level. I will update you on any new developments regarding this matter,” he said.
