India unlikely to respond to Hasina extradition call

Shadow over bilateral ties

- Rezaul H Laskar

NEW DELHI: India is unlikely to respond to Bangladesh's request to extradite former premier Sheikh Hasina, people familiar with the matter said, pointing out that Dhaka has not completed key formalities needed to take forward such an issue.

The extradition request was made in the form of a note verbale, or unsigned diplomatic correspondence, sent by the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi to the external affairs ministry on December 23. The move came amid unprecedented strain in bilateral ties since the formation of Bangladesh's interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

A note verbale is among the lowest levels of diplomatic exchanges, and not typically used for matters as sensitive as extradition requests, the people said on condition of anonymity.

Hasina, 77, has been in India since she stepped down in the face of nationwide protests led by student groups and fled Dhaka. Yunus and other leaders of the caretaker administration have pointed to Hasina's presence in India and her comments while in exile, describing them as a source of tension.