BNP Leader Expects India to Extradite Hasina, Predicts Smooth Delhi-Dhaka Relations

BNP Leader Hopeful India Will Extradite Hasina, Rules Out Impact on Bilateral Ties

Senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday expressed optimism that India will extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, stressing that the issue would not hinder relations between Bangladesh and India.

Fakhrul said any extradition request would follow proper legal procedures and international norms. “It depends. It will go as per rules, as per the international rules that are there. Bangladesh has already asked to repatriate her from India to Bangladesh. That is clear,” 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 for crimes against humanity linked to the violent crackdown during the unrest.

Asked whether the BNP would formally seek Hasina’s extradition if in power, Fakhrul reiterated that the matter would follow established legal frameworks. He noted that Bangladesh and India already have an extradition treaty in place. “Yes. If we want it, we want her to come back,” he said.

On whether the extradition issue could affect ties between Dhaka and New Delhi, Fakhrul dismissed the possibility. “It will not be a roadblock between Bangladesh and India’s relationship. India has never denied that she is there. And she never said that India would not return Hasina. It will all depend on the development that takes place at that time. Time is the best healer,” he added.

Fakhrul also acknowledged that India has not officially clarified its position but remained hopeful of cooperation. “Yes. We are hopeful,” he said.

Fakhrul, a senior BNP leader and close aide of Tariq Rahman, has steered the party through decades of political upheaval, including during Rahman’s exile in England.

The remarks come a day after the BNP secured a landslide victory in the first parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising. The Awami League, led by Hasina, was barred from contesting following suspension of its activities by the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus amid investigations into the party’s 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, and we support that move. We always press for her extradition according to the law. This is an issue between the foreign ministries of the two countries,” he said.