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Published : 10 Dec 2025, 06:06 PM
Bangladesh’s decision to bring back former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death for crimes against humanity during the July uprising, depends entirely on India, Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain has said.
The remark came on Wednesday in response to a question about Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that Hasina’s return would ultimately be her “personal decision”.
When asked about Bangladesh’s position, Touhid said, “What can we do? Tell me?”
Asked what Dhaka can do, he replied: “There is not much to be done. India must agree or want to send her back.”
Touhid added, “If they don’t agree, there’s really nothing to do. We can try to convince them.”
When pressed about efforts to persuade India, he said: “We can continue to try, that’s all. We cannot do more than that.”
Hasina fled to India on Aug 5 last year after relinquishing power amid the Uprising. The International Crimes Tribunal handed down the death sentence to Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Nov 17. Kamal is also in India.
Following the verdict, the Bangladeshi government renewed its call for their return and sent a diplomatic note to India on Nov 23, which Delhi acknowledged three days later, but has yet to indicate whether Hasina and Kamal will be repatriated.
Separately, Hasina has also been sentenced in a plot corruption case.
Jaishankar recently described her stay in India as a personal decision, influenced by the “circumstances” under which she came.
Speaking at a leadership summit with NDTV, he stressed that the final decision rests with Hasina herself while highlighting India’s emphasis on credible democratic processes in neighbouring countries.
On reports that Hasina might travel to a third country, Touhid reiterated Bangladesh’s inability to do anything. “We just want her to return.”
On if Bangladesh had received any diplomatic notice, he said: “I don’t know of any. But I’ve heard what you have heard.”
