India wants Sheikh Hasina to return to Bangladesh only after Dhaka's guarantees: Report

India wants ousted PM Sheikh Hasina to return to Bangladesh but only after certain conditions are fulfiled, reports BBC Bangla. New Delhi wants the Bangladesh Army to oversee her return and Dhaka to guarantee a fresh and fair trial.

More than two years ago, ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina landed on Indian soil aboard a Bangladeshi military aircraft as an angry mob stormed her residence in Dhaka. Now, Hasina has announced that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December. New Delhi is reportedly on board with the plan, but wants her return to take place with some guarantees in place for the Awami League chief's security and an opportunity for a fair trial, reports BBC Bangla. The news outlet quoted unnamed sources in India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the military establishment. The MEA spokesperson on Friday refused to comment on the reports.

According to the BBC Bangla report published on Thursday (November 12), which was also cited by around a dozen Bangladeshi outlets, New Delhi has been working for some time to create a viable path for Hasina's return from exile. The conditions will ensure the Awami League chief's safety and guarantee her justice, according to the report.

The PM Tarique Rahman-led government in Bangladesh has neither confirmed the BBC Bangla report nor reacted to it. The article will be updated if there is any official reaction.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs, meanwhile, declined to offer any comment on the veracity of the report after being questioned by reporters on Friday (November 13).

"There are a few reports saying India wants Bangladesh to send a military aircraft to bring Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina back from New Delhi. Also, India has sought assurances that she will be given an opportunity to appeal her death sentence and face a fresh trial over the 2024 crackdown. Any confirmation on that, any communication on that," a mediaperson asked Jaiswal on Friday.

"I have nothing to say on that," responded Jaiswal to the question.

Bangladesh PM's assistant press secretary KM Nazmul Haque claimed in a Facebook post on Friday that "no country has shown willingness to host" Hasina.

His post came after the BBC Bangla report.

"The UK, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Finland, the United States, Belarus, Qatar -- not even a single country in Africa is willing to provide shelter to a genocidaire," said Nazmul on Facebook.

"In other words, one avenue after another is closing for Hasina," he said, adding that she wanted to return to Bangladesh "as a last resort" by "banking on the blood of grassroots Awami League workers and supporters".

HASINA MAKES FIRST CONTACT WITH BANGLADESH GOVT

Hasina on November 9 applied for a fresh passport and travel documents, initiating the first official link with the Bangladeshi government since her exile. The response from Dhaka wasn't encouraging, with some leaders insisting that India extradite her.

Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri said the Bangladesh government was being "too rigid and unreasonable" in its stance on Hasina's passport request.

Dhaka-based senior journalist Swadesh Roy said that by initiating contact over the issuance of a passport, Hasina had sent the first political ball in the Bangladesh government's court.

With a Bangladeshi court having sentenced Hasina to death and Dhaka repeatedly demanding her extradition, India has so far refrained from acting on the requests, allowing the former prime minister to remain in the country.

Hasina has meanwhile announced that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, a declaration that, according to BBC Bangla, came with "New Delhi's tacit approval".

Citing Indian government and military officials, the BBC Bangla report outlines the considerations behind Delhi's position, the conditions it wants Bangladesh to meet before Hasina's return, and why her December deadline might be difficult to meet.

HASINA REACHED UNDERSTANDING ON HER RETURN: BBC BANGLA

When Sheikh Hasina arrived in India in 2024, her status as a head of state and an ally of New Delhi meant she was readily given refuge, and allowed to stay as India's guest.

Dhaka's demands that she be extradited have created issues in bilateral ties. After Hasina's first live address in August, Bangladesh scrapped a planned visit by PM Tarique Rahman, according to reports.

BBC Bangla reported that policymakers in New Delhi believe Hasina must return to Bangladesh and personally take charge of the Awami League if the party, a longstanding ally of India, is to revive its political fortunes in the country.

The report said India regularly holds debriefing sessions with foreign guests, including Hasina, who have taken refuge in the country. During these interactions, she was reportedly made aware of India's position on her return, according to BBC Bangla.

It was after the two sides "reached an understanding" that Hasina publicly announced her intention to return in December, the report said.

India's reluctance to act on Bangladesh's extradition request, meanwhile, is rooted in its longstanding relationship with the former prime minister, reported BBC Bangla.

As Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor told ANI in December last year, "As far as Sheikh Hasina is concerned, India has acted in the right humanitarian spirit not to force somebody back who has been a good friend of India for many years."

INDIA HAS TWO CONDITIONS FOR HASINA'S RETURN: REPORT

According to BBC Bangla, Indian officials have indicated that New Delhi has two principal conditions for facilitating Hasina's return.

The first concerns the Bangladesh military's role in taking her back. Hasina arrived in India on August 5, 2024, aboard a military aircraft belonging to the Bangladesh Army. India now wants the same institution to take responsibility for her return, according to the report.

"The process could take place either by air or by land. Bangladesh could send a military aircraft to bring her back from Delhi, or its army could receive her at a designated point along the land border," the BBC Bangla report noted, adding that New Delhi was prepared to make the necessary logistical arrangements.

The second condition concerns the legal proceedings against Hasina in Bangladesh. India wants Dhaka to "guarantee Sheikh Hasina an opportunity to appeal against her death sentence and ensure that her trial over the July massacre allegations is conducted afresh," reported BBC Bangla.

"We can never knowingly hand her over to be hanged. Rather, we would want to ensure that she gets an opportunity for a fresh and fair trial," BBC Bangla quoted an unnamed Indian MEA official as saying. The official also indicated that India would want the proceedings to take place under the scrutiny of the international community and global media.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES TALKS FOR HASINA'S RETURN?

BBC Bangla also reported that "India has been holding behind-the-scenes discussions with Dhaka for several months" to work out the arrangements needed to facilitate Hasina's return.

Saying that the military establishments are expected to play an important role in this process, BBC Bangla reported that India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, met Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth during an unscheduled visit to Delhi in the first week of October.

The Indian Army's public information division, in a post on X, said that Dinesh Trivedi interacted with General Dhiraj Seth on October 6. "The interaction focussed on issues of India-Bangladesh bilateral cooperation and measures for strengthening Defence ties," it said on X.

A senior Indian military source told BBC Bangla that "ordinarily there would be no reason for our High Commissioner in Bangladesh to come to Delhi and meet the Army Chief, unless there was a special reason arising from a particular situation."

The source cited by BBC Bangla suggested that the meeting was linked to "ensuring an active role for the army in Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh".

Despite the frosty political ties between the two countries, the military establishments have maintained regular contact. India wants to use these channels to ensure that Hasina's return is coordinated and that her security is protected.

"India would also want to ensure that Sheikh Hasina's safety and security are not put at risk when she returns home. Whether we like it or not, this responsibility has fallen on India's shoulders at this moment," BBC Bangla quoted the military source as saying.

Despite New Delhi's reported efforts, the chances of Hasina returning to Bangladesh in December remain slim, according to the BBC Bangla report.

Indian officials cited by the news outlet believe that Dhaka may not actually want the former prime minister back, despite publicly seeking her extradition, given the number of problems and crisis that the country is currently facing. That's because her return will only increase Dhaka's woes.

However, New Delhi also believes that it has little to lose even if Hasina cannot return as planned, according to the report. "At the very least, we will then be able to say that Sheikh Hasina herself wanted to return, but it could not happen because Bangladesh came up with various excuses," BBC Bangla quoted a South Bloc source as saying.

What is understandable from the BBC Bangla report and other reactions is that, with Hasina announcing her intention to return in December, India might be trying to secure two primary guarantees to do with her security and fair trial. However, it has to be remembered, there is no official confirmation from India on any of these reports yet.

- Ends
(Written by Shounak Sanyal)