Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been in India for almost three weeks. Meanwhile, there is speculation about the former Prime Minister’s next step. However, the possibility of her staying in India has diminished due to the cancellation of Hasina’s diplomatic passport by the interim government of Bangladesh. The interim government of Bangladesh has cancelled the diplomatic passports of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as all members of the former cabinet.
The Security Services Division of the country’s Home Ministry has announced that the diplomatic passports of Sheikh Hasina, her advisers, former cabinet members and all members of the recently dissolved 12th Jatiya Sangsad and their spouses will be cancelled with immediate effect. The interim government took this step nearly two weeks after the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following student-led protests. The provision of cancellation of these passports also applies to diplomatic officials whose tenure has ended, with ordinary passports likely to be issued only after approval by at least two investigating agencies.
Is Sheikh Hasina facing the threat of extradition?
Quoting government sources, the report said that Hasina does not have any other passport except the diplomatic passport issued in her name. Cancellation of Hasina’s diplomatic passport and related visa privileges may increase the possibility of her extradition. According to the Dhaka-based newspaper ‘Daily Star’, as per the Indian visa policy, Bangladeshi citizens holding diplomatic or official passports are eligible for visa-free entry and stay for 45 days. On Thursday, Hasina has completed 20 days in India.
The cancellation of her diplomatic passport and related visa privileges could put Hasina at risk of extradition to Bangladesh, where she faces 51 cases, including 42 counts of murder. Hasina’s extradition would fall under the legal framework of the 2013 extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, which was amended in 2016. While the treaty allows extradition to be denied if the charges are political in nature, it does not explicitly recognise crimes such as murder as political.