BNP Leader Confident India Will Extradite Hasina, Sees No Roadblocks in Bilateral Ties

BNP Leader Optimistic India Will Extradite Hasina, Rules Out Impact on Dhaka-Delhi Ties

Senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said his party remains hopeful that India will extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, adding that the issue would not affect relations between Bangladesh and India.

In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Fakhrul said any move on Hasina’s extradition would follow legal processes and international rules. “Bangladesh has already asked to repatriate her from India. It will proceed as per international norms,” he said.

Hasina has been living in New Delhi since August 2024, after stepping down amid a mass uprising. In November 2025, a special tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia over crimes against humanity related to the 2024 unrest.

Fakhrul reiterated that the BNP, if in power, would pursue extradition through legal frameworks, citing the existing Bangladesh-India extradition treaty. “Yes. If we want it, we want her to come back,” he said.

On whether the extradition could affect bilateral ties, Fakhrul dismissed the possibility. “It will not be a roadblock. India has never denied she is there. It depends on developments at the time. Time is the best healer,” he added.

The comments follow the BNP’s landslide victory in the first parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising. The Awami League, led by Hasina, was barred from contesting after its activities were suspended by the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus amid investigations into its role during the unrest.

Senior BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed also emphasized that the party would continue pressing for Hasina’s return through legal and diplomatic channels. “The foreign ministry has already taken up the matter. We always press for her extradition according to the law,” he said.