India refuses to be drawn out on possible demand for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition

India on Friday refused to be drawn out on the issue of any possible demand from Bangladesh for the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina, even as it acknowledged that work on development projects had stalled because of turmoil in the neighbouring country.

Hasina stepped down and fled to India on August 5, after weeks of student-led protests against her government. She is currently in a safe location, though Indian authorities have not given details of her whereabouts. Several opposition parties in Bangladesh have called on the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to seek her extradition.

Asked about the possibility of Bangladesh's interim government seeking Hasina's extradition, Indian External affairs ministry (EAM) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this is a matter that lies in the "realm of hypothetical issues." He added, "As we stated earlier, the former prime minister of Bangladesh came to India at very short notice for reasons of safety. We have nothing further to add on that matter."

Bilateral projects, he said, were impacted by the turmoil in Bangladesh. "Work on some of the projects has stalled...because of the law and order situation. Once the situation stabilises and normalcy is restored, we will engage in consultations with the interim government and see how best to take those forward and what sort of understanding we can reach on them," Jaiswal added.

Asked about the possibility of Bangladesh's interim government seeking Hasina's extradition, External affairs ministry (EAM) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this is a matter that lies in the "realm of hypothetical issues." He added, "As we stated earlier, the former prime minister of Bangladesh came to India at very short notice for reasons of safety. We have nothing further to add on that matter."

Bilateral projects, he said, were impacted by the turmoil in Bangladesh. "Work on some of the projects has stalled...because of the law and order situation. Once the situation stabilises and normalcy is restored, we will engage in consultations with the interim government and see how best to take those forward and what sort of understanding we can reach on them," Jaiswal added.

Security during the turmoil that followed the ouster of Hasina was a problem for all countries and the Indian Cultural Centre in Dhaka was attacked and vandalised. Though the Bangladesh authorities "tried their best", India decided to pull out all non-essential staff and families from the high commission in Dhaka, Jaiswal said.

Referring to a CNN report on the flood situation in Bangladesh, Jaiswal said, "Its narrative is misleading and suggests that India is somehow responsible for the floods. This is factually not correct and ignores the facts mentioned in the press releases issued by the government of India clarifying the situation."

He reiterated that floods in Bangladesh had been caused by incessant and excessive rains and not because of the opening of dams on shared rivers by the Indian side. He dismissed media reports in this regard and said any suggestion that India is responsible for the flooding is "misleading".

The CNN report also ignored the fact that there is "regular and timely exchange of data and critical information" between India and Bangladesh through existing joint mechanisms for management of water resources, said Jaiswal. The current flooding in eastern Bangladesh was caused by "incessant and excessive" rains, he added.

Jaiswal responded to Yunus's recent remarks about the need for a new bilateral mechanism to cope with floods by saying that the two countries already have established procedures for flood and water management. The two sides share 54 rivers and have been exchanging dates on a timely and regular basis through these established procedures.

However, Jaiswal said, "If there are any new mechanisms that can help further in controlling or...deal with natural disasters, this is a matter that we can take forward with Bangladesh."

The Indian side reiterated at a recent meeting between its envoy in Dhaka and Yunus that India wants to continue working with Bangladesh to fulfil the shared aspirations of the people for prosperity, security and development. The envoy also discussed the safety of Hindus and other minorities with Yunus, Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal said limited Indian visa services are currently available in Bangladesh, and visas are being granted only for emergency or medical purposes. "You would appreciate that full visa services can only resume once law and order is restored and normalcy is established," he added.