Envoy summoned over Hasina remarks, her extradition issue

Bangladesh summons India's high commissioner for the fifth time during the interim government's tenure to convey serious concern over sporadic "provocation" by deposed premier Sheikh Hasina from exile in India.
The envoy, Pranay Verma, was called to the foreign ministry on Sunday morning, according to an official statement, amid heightened tensions following the gun attack on a July uprising activist and prospective election candidate.
Bangladeshi authorities urge New Delhi to arrest and extradite those responsible for the attempted killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, convenor of the Inqilab Manch, if they are found to have crossed into Indian territories.
Hadi, a frontline activist of the uprising that led to Hasina's ouster, was shot by assailants in a drive-by attack in Dhaka on Friday and remained in critical condition in hospital. There are widespread reports that those involved in the attack have fled across the border.
In its statement, the foreign ministry has said it sought India's cooperation in preventing suspects "from evading justice by crossing the border and requested their immediate arrest and handover to Bangladesh should they have entered Indian soil".
The ministry also conveys the interim government's growing unease over what it describes as "continued provocative statements" by Sheikh Hasina, who has been in Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh on August 5 last year following mass protests that unseated her long-serving government.
Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have been strained since the Hasina removal from power. Pro-democracy groups in Bangladesh have accused the Indian government of backing her continued rule through a series of widely criticised elections.
Despite repeated requests from the interim administration, India has not taken steps to restrain Hasina's public statements, which Bangladeshi officials say are fuelling political instability ahead of the country's next parliamentary election and a national referendum.
Following the announcement of the election schedule, Hasina has intensified her public remarks from India, prompting the latest diplomatic démarche. The foreign secretary, Asad Alam Siam, met Verma at the state guesthouse Padma, where he formally conveyed the government's concerns.
Bangladeshi officials told the Indian envoy that Hasina was being allowed to incite her supporters, whom they accuse of engaging in violent activities aimed at sabotaging the upcoming election.
The government also alleges that fugitive leaders and activists of the now-banned Awami League "are operating from India to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Bangladesh".
Dhaka renews its call for the arrest and extradition of what it describes as "fascist elements", including Hasina herself and her former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, both of whom have been convicted of crimes against humanity by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal.
On November 17, the tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for her role in the violent suppression of the July movement, after which Bangladesh formally requested her extradition. India has yet to respond.
In its statement, the foreign ministry hopes India, as a neighbouring country, would stand with the Bangladeshi people in upholding justice and safeguarding democratic processes.
Recently, the Indian high commissioner said India expected a peaceful election in Bangladesh and was prepared to extend full cooperation in that regard.
And now New Delhi promptly rebuts Dhaka's accusations, dismissing as "false" the Bangladesh government note that accuses Awami League fugitives in India of directing terrorist acts to derail the February-12th election.
In a sharply worded press release issued Sunday, India's Ministry of External Affairs "categorically rejects the assertions made by the interim Government of Bangladesh in its press note (dated the 14th of December 2025)".
"We have consistently reiterated our position in favour of free, fair, inclusive and credible elections being held in Bangladesh in a peaceful atmosphere," the Indian statement reads.
"India has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical to the interests of the friendly people of Bangladesh."
Signalling that it sees law and order as an internal matter, the statement adds: "We expect that the interim Government of Bangladesh will take all necessary measures for ensuring internal law and order, including for the purpose of holding peaceful elections."

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