Consular Dialogue: Dhaka to press Delhi for Hasina’s extradition

Bangladesh is set to seek the extradition of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and the alleged killers of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi at the upcoming fifth consular dialogue with India.

It would be the first time Dhaka has raised the issue at a formal meeting of this kind since the July uprising, diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi told The Daily Star.

In December 2024, Dhaka sought their extradition through a diplomatic note verbale and and renewed the request after their convictions.

The meeting will be held at the director-general level in Dhaka ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s possible visit to India.

Bangladesh proposed holding the dialogue in late October, while India wanted it in early November because of the Durga Puja festivities, officials said.

A foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two countries had begun a series of bilateral engagements ahead of a possible high-level meeting, including a trade meeting held a week ago.

“At the consular dialogue, Dhaka will seek the extradition of political figures currently taking refuge in India, including Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and the alleged killers of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi,” the official said.

Hasina has remained in India since fleeing Bangladesh during the mass uprising in August 2024. She and Asaduzzaman were sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal in November 2025 for crimes against humanity.

According to Indian media reports, India’s courts, rather than its government, will ultimately decide whether to extradite Hasina. The courts would have to determine whether the alleged offences are also recognised under Indian law.

India’s extradition law provides for a judicial inquiry. If a magistrate finds a prima facie case, extradition may be recommended; otherwise, the fugitive may be discharged.

Bangladesh’s request includes the required legal documents under the 2013 India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty. The treaty provides for surrender of people charged with or convicted of offences, while excluding certain political offences. However, serious crimes including murder, manslaughter, assault, incitement to murder and crimes against humanity cannot automatically be treated as political offences.

Established in 2017, the consular dialogue is a regular mechanism for discussing consular matters, visa procedures and mutual legal assistance. The two countries have held four rounds, the latest in New Delhi in May 2024, before the July uprising.

The upcoming meeting will also cover border and cross-border movement, push-ins from India, visa services, repatriation of detained nationals, release of fishermen, the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, extradition cases and renewal of the Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA), officials said. The RTA has been extended every six months since its expiry in 2023.

Esha Srivastava, joint secretary of the consular, passport, and visa division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Shah Asif Rahman, director general of the South Asia wing of Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, will lead the delegations, officials said.

PUSH-IN, REPATRIATION

Dhaka will raise incidents in which people have been pushed into Bangladesh from India since the July uprising, a foreign ministry official said.

India, meanwhile, has complained that Bangladesh has yet to repatriate people whose names appeared on lists of detained Bangladeshi nationals shared by New Delhi.

The official said some lists contained repeated names or insufficient details, making identification difficult. Bangladesh has repatriated those whose identities it could verify, he said.

“At present, 1,448 Bangladeshis are serving prison sentences in various Indian jails,” the official said, adding that the government’s policy was to repatriate Bangladeshi nationals found to be residing illegally abroad.

India will seek the repatriation of 25 of its nationals who have completed their sentences in Bangladeshi prisons, and their identities have been verified, according to the consular wing of the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh. These verified Indian nationals are currently lodged as “release prisoners” awaiting repatriation.

Bangladesh has also shared a list of 121 prisoners reportedly identified as Indian nationals whose sentences have been completed.

However, the high commission said insufficient personal details in many cases had made verification difficult.

It has sought consular access to verify their nationality and is awaiting a response from Dhaka. In some cases, sufficient information had been provided, but the process of verifying nationality was still ongoing.

The repatriation of fishermen is another Indian priority. An Indian High Commission official said New Delhi had shared a draft protocol with Dhaka to speed up the process.

“On humanitarian grounds, we want these fishermen to be repatriated at the earliest possible time, as there is no visible border in the sea and they often cross it by mistake,” the official said, adding that even short periods of detention affected their livelihoods.