- Hasina fled to India in August 2024 after her Awami League government collapsed amid mass protests.
- Death sentence in absentia imposed by a Dhaka court in November 2025 for crimes against humanity.
- Virtual press conference in New Delhi; Hasina vowed to return in December 2026.
- Bangladesh outraged; extradition requests reiterated after Hasina's India appearance.
Bangladesh's ex‑premier Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in India since August 2024, faces a death sentence in absentia handed down last November for crimes against humanity tied to the crackdown on student protests. She vowed to return in December 2026 to restore democracy and the secular ethos and to put the country back on a path of development.34
“I am not going back to seek power, but to stand by my people's struggle to restore democracy and the country's secular ethos, and to bring our country back on the path of development and prosperity.” Hasina said while addressing journalists in New Delhi during the second anniversary of the collapse of her government.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, warned that India should be deeply worried about Bangladesh being transformed into “another Pakistan” on its eastern flank, citing a proliferation of radical extremism and saying Pakistan's ISI had been given a free run in Bangladesh and that “the next wave of global terrorists could emerge from Bangladesh.” Joy urged urgent steps to prevent a security crisis.
Dhaka’s Foreign Ministry said Hasina’s remarks from India were an “affront” to Bangladesh’s sovereignty and detrimental to bilateral relations, stressing it has renewed its requests under the 2013 India‑Bangladesh Extradition Treaty to have her extradited, which it said have not yet elicited a response.
It added that it seeks a constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non‑interference in internal affairs, and national dignity, while noting Hasina’s presence in India should not derail engagement with Dhaka.
Under the same treaty, Dhaka has urged New Delhi to extradite Hasina; India says it has hosted her since August 2024 as a humanitarian matter and has not provided a political platform for her public statements, stressing that ties with Dhaka remain intact.
“Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy warned that Bangladesh could become 'another Pakistan' due to radical extremism, alleging ISI's free run. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry said the event was 'detrimental to harmonious bilateral relations' and that extradition requests under the 2013 treaty remain unanswered.”
Deccan Herald
