State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed has urged India to expedite the extradition of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, saying Bangladesh expects New Delhi to act swiftly under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries.
“We expect the Indian government to expedite the ongoing extradition process to bring back the accused individuals as swiftly as possible,” Obaed told journalists at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday afternoon.
Responding to a question about a comment made by Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Saturday regarding Hasina, the state minister said both legal procedures and political considerations were important in addressing the issue.
“While legal procedures must be respected, political intent is equally crucial,” she said.
Asked whether the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India could effectively be used to bring Hasina back, Obaed said there was no legal impediment to pursuing the process under the agreement.
“Absolutely. It is entirely possible to extradite the accused under the framework of the treaty, and that legal process is actively being pursued,” she said.
Bangladesh has repeatedly requested India to extradite Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal last year in a case related to the crackdown on the 2024 anti-government protests.
Hasina left Bangladesh for India in August 2024 following the fall of her government and has remained there since. Dhaka has formally sought her return under the bilateral extradition treaty.
Dhaka seeks Meta office
Bangladesh has also asked Meta to establish a formal office in the country, citing the large number of Facebook users in Bangladesh and the need for greater accountability in tackling misinformation and other social media-related challenges.
“Having a local presence would also allow us to address social media challenges more effectively and ensure greater accountability,” Obaed said.
She said Meta had responded positively to the proposal and confirmed that it was under active consideration.
The state minister was also asked about rumours circulating on social media that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had initially planned to visit San Francisco but could not travel outside the United Nations perimeter because of an alleged FBI case or US visa restrictions.
Rejecting the claim, Obaed said such rumours were unfounded.
“That is precisely why Meta needs to set up an office in Bangladesh—to curb misinformation,” she said. “One should not pay attention to unfounded rumours. As media representatives, we expect you to verify facts before publishing news.”
Obaed said the prime minister had maintained a lean delegation during his overseas visits, including his trips to China and Malaysia, and had avoided taking unnecessary personnel.
She said the same approach was followed during his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, where he led a limited delegation and completed his key bilateral and multilateral engagements before returning home.
“There was never any plan for the Prime Minister to visit San Francisco personally,” she said.
“Instead, he strategically delegated a specialised team – comprising the ICT adviser, State Minister for Education, Financial Adviser and myself – to handle practical, targeted negotiations. Thus, these rumours are entirely groundless,” she added.
