Govt Sees No Legal Hurdle to Hasina’s Return: Adviser

Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman, the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Information and Broadcasting, is answering questions from journalists at a press conference.

The government sees no legal complications in bringing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh through the extradition process with India, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Zahed Ur Rahman has said.

He said there should be no legal obstacle to her return if Hasina herself wishes to come back to Bangladesh.

The adviser made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists at a press conference at the Secretariat on Tuesday (November 10), where he discussed progress in various government activities.

Zahed said Hasina had not personally applied for a passport. He recalled that Bangladesh’s press minister in New Delhi had earlier said a law firm had sent a letter seeking arrangements for issuing a passport to her, but no application had been submitted by Hasina herself.

Asked about possible legal complications in her extradition, the adviser referred to a briefing in India where legal issues surrounding the process had been mentioned.

He said the issue should not be confused with an attempt by Bangladesh to forcibly bring Hasina back. He also distinguished between individual murder cases and crimes against humanity, saying Hasina had been convicted of crimes against humanity.

Zahed said any legal questions concerning extradition could be addressed through the courts as part of the process. However, in his view, if Hasina herself wanted to return to Bangladesh, the legal complications cited in connection with extradition should not arise.

He argued that if she wished to come back voluntarily, there would be no need for an extradition process to secure her return. Instead, she would have to face the legal proceedings in Bangladesh.

Referring to Article 47 of the Constitution, the adviser said the Constitution contains special provisions concerning the fundamental rights of people convicted of crimes against humanity. He said certain fundamental rights would not apply to those accused of such crimes.

He added that the government wanted India to extradite a convicted person and believed there should be no obstacle from the Indian side if the person concerned was willing to return.

Bangladesh has an extradition treaty with India, Zahed said, adding that the agreement allows one country to request the arrest and handover of a person accused or convicted of an offence who has fled to the other country, provided the relevant conditions are met.

He said Bangladesh had formally requested Hasina’s return through diplomatic channels on multiple occasions and would continue to follow the established process.

The adviser stressed that the government was concerned not only with securing Hasina’s return but also with ensuring that it happened through the appropriate legal and diplomatic procedures.

He described Hasina as a convicted offender who should be in custody and face the legal process in Bangladesh, adding that the government wanted to bring her back through the procedures available to the state.

Asked about reports of meetings and activities in diplomatic circles, Zahed said the government had no information on the matter and therefore had no comment.

On whether Hasina and her party might try to put political pressure on the government, he said they could make such attempts, but the government was not giving the matter much importance.

Asked whether bringing Hasina to justice was the government's main objective, the adviser said the government wanted to bring her back to Bangladesh to face trial. He added that the method of her return was also important.

Regarding the full written verdict in the case against Hasina at the International Crimes Tribunal, Zahed said a short version of the verdict had been published and that the detailed judgment could also be made public. However, he did not confirm whether the full verdict had been released by then.