Bangladesh Crisis: Ex-SCBA Prez Seeks Clarity on Extradition Request for Sheikh Hasina

Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president and senior advocate Adish C. Aggarwala has written to the president of the apex court bar association in Bangladesh, seeking information on whether the country’s former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, had committed an “extraditable offence.”

The senior advocate also requested the Bangladesh SCBA president to ensure that Hindus are not intentionally targeted during the turmoil in the neighboring country.

The letter, addressed to A.M. Mahbub Uddin Khokon, emphasizes the close working relationship between the legal fraternities of both countries.

“I read in news reports that you, in your capacity as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Bangladesh, have urged India to arrest the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, and return them to Bangladesh,” the letter states.

It points out that according to the 2013 extradition treaty between the two countries, there must be an “extraditable offence.”

“There is no news report that Sheikh Hasina and her sister have been charged in any criminal case. However, if you claim that Sheikh Hasina and her sister have been charged with any offence and if the government of Bangladesh has made an extradition request to the Indian government, kindly provide this information to me immediately, so that we can also impress upon the government of India to extradite them to Bangladesh,” the letter continues.

“The bar is the protector of human rights…. There are press reports that houses and businesses of Hindus, as well as temples, have been targeted, looted, and damaged during the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh. I also take this opportunity to request you to ensure that Hindus are not intentionally targeted in Bangladesh,” it concludes.

Amid ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), has called on India to detain the former Prime Minister and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, and return them to Bangladesh,

During a press conference at the SCBA auditorium, Khokon said, “We want to maintain a positive relationship with the people of India. Please arrest Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who fled the country, and send them back to Bangladesh.”
Khokon, who is also a joint secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), accused Sheikh Hasina of causing numerous deaths in Bangladesh, stating, “Sheikh Hasina has killed many people in Bangladesh.”

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