BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina will have to be brought back to Bangladesh through the existing extradition treaty with India, stressing that she must not be welcomed as if she were returning from a visit to her parents' or in-laws' home.
“Many people have been killed, and numerous cases have been filed against Sheikh Hasina. She has also been convicted and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Yet, discussions about bringing her back make it sound as if she had gone to her parents’ or in-laws’ home and should be welcomed with flowers,” he said.
Rizvi said Hasina would have to be brought back in accordance with the provisions of the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India and through the ongoing judicial and legal processes.
He made the remarks while addressing a discussion organised by the Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal at the Jatiya Press Club, marking National Revolution and Solidarity Day.
Referring to Hasina’s intention to return to Bangladesh and her reportedly application for a passport, visa and national identity card, the BNP leader said there is no scope for her to be repatriated. “Only extradition is an option for her,” he said.
Explaining the difference, he said extradition is a legal matter between two countries, while repatriation applies to someone who has left their country without facing any allegations and later wishes to return.
“If I leave my country without any allegations against me and later want to return, I can apply to my own country for a passport if I do not have one. But can the same process can apply to someone facing criminal cases, state prosecution and sentences in their own country? Such a person is subject to extradition,” Rizvi said.
Bangladesh has an extradition treaty with India, making Hasina’s return a legal matter between the two countries, he said.
The BNP leader said Hasina killed around 1,400 people, including students and rickshaw-pullers, during the July 2024 mass uprising. “Several cases are pending against her, and she has already been sentenced in some cases, including a death sentence.”
“Why is all this fanfare over her return? She must face the ongoing trials in Bangladesh and serve the sentences handed down to her,” he said.
Turning to the role of women in politics, Rizvi said women leaders and activists of the BNP had played a significant role in the struggle for democracy during the past 17 years.
He recalled how police repeatedly erected barricades to prevent their programmes and how women activists tried to break through them despite fear of arrest, enforced disappearance and harassment.
Bangladesh wants Hasina, who faces the death penalty, to be extradited from India under the existing extradition treaty, while India has said travel documents are required for people to travel.
Hasina fled to India after student-led protests had forced her from power on August 5, 2024 and had since then remained there.
In 2025, a Bangladeshi special tribunal sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity committed during the mass uprising.