India has so far refused to hand over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to face trial in Bangladesh, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain confirmed on Monday evening.
Speaking to journalists in Dhaka, Hossain said that despite a formal request for her return, New Delhi has given no sign it intends to cooperate.
“There is no new information on this,” Touhid said when asked about efforts to bring Hasina back. “Bangladesh has sought Sheikh Hasina’s return from India to face trial. No positive response has come from India. Bangladesh is waiting.”
Touhid explained that the trial process against Hasina has already begun and will not be delayed by her absence.
“Whether someone comes or not, the trial does not remain stalled for that,” he said.
When asked if the government might involve international agencies to facilitate her return, the adviser said there is no such step under consideration right now.
“If the government deems it necessary, it may seek cooperation,” he said. “But at this moment, I do not see any need.”
Touhid also addressed the ongoing issue of “push-ins” at the Bangladesh-India border, where individuals are sent across the frontier without formal procedure.
“There is no policy on push-ins,” he said. “If a Bangladeshi resides in India illegally, they can detain the person. They will inform us, Bangladesh will verify the citizenship and take the individual back. Push-ins are a deviation from this established process, and we have raised objections to it.”
The adviser noted that Bangladesh has followed proper repatriation protocols after receiving verified lists of names from India and said the same process should be respected.
“Still, India is carrying out push-ins, which is unfortunate. We are protesting this issue,” Touhid said.
Asked how Bangladesh plans to respond, he emphasized that only diplomacy is on the table.
“One thing is undeniable — we are obviously not going to war over this,” he said. “That leaves the only method: diplomatic discussion. That is what we are pursuing. Although we have not yet seen success, we hope that success will come eventually.”
