Politics1 min read

Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh: India wants Dhaka to fulfil two conditions

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

India has asked the Bangladeshi government to meet two specific requirements before facilitating Sheikh Hasina's return to Dhaka. New Delhi wants the Bangladesh army to oversee her transport using a military aircraft and insists on a guaranteed fresh trial regarding her death sentence over the July 2024 crackdown. Hasina has expressed her own intention to return by December 2026 despite acknowledging risks of arrest, imprisonment, or assassination. Meanwhile, she continues to accuse the current administration of persecuting her Awami League party members.

Key points

  • Sheltering the convicted former prime minister has drawn international criticism and crea…: Sheltering the convicted former prime minister has drawn international criticism and created serious diplomatic strains between India and Bangladesh.
  • Efforts by Indian officials to relocate the exiled leader to an alternative third country…: Efforts by Indian officials to relocate the exiled leader to an alternative third country were entirely unsuccessful.
  • Sheikh Hasina has signaled her readiness to return despite facing severe personal threats…: Sheikh Hasina has signaled her readiness to return despite facing severe personal threats and ongoing legal prosecution in Dhaka.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Over two years after

Sheikh Hasina fled to India, New Delhi is reportedly looking to send the former Bangladesh prime minister back to Dhaka, but has laid down two conditions for Tarique Rahman's government.

According to a BBC Bangla report, India wants Bangladesh to send a military aircraft to bring Hasina back from New Delhi. However, the proposal comes with conditions, as Hasina has been sentenced to death by a Bangladeshi court over her government's crackdown on protesters during the July 2024 uprising.

The first condition is that the Bangladesh army must take responsibility for bringing its longest-serving leader Hasina back, preferably using a military aircraft. This would mirror her arrival in India aboard a Bangladesh military aircraft after she fled the country on August 5, 2024.

The second condition is that Bangladesh must guarantee Hasina an opportunity to appeal her death sentence and face a fresh trial over allegations linked to the July 2024 killings.

Why does India want Sheikh Hasina back in Bangladesh

The BBC Bangla report said Hasina's continued stay in India has increasingly become an uncomfortable…

Politics