A Verdict That Shook South Asia:-
Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by her country in a verdict that is so dramatic that it has completely shaken up South Asian politics and put India in a very difficult diplomatic corner. What Exactly Happened? How is it that a leader who served for 15 years was held for changing the fortunes of her country has now become effective. And what does this mean for India? Now this was set up by Sheikh Hasina’s own party, the Awami League government, to try and punish those people who were collaborators with the Pakistani military during the 1971 Liberation War in which Bangladesh gained its independence. Now ironically, years later Sheikh Hasina, who has been outsmarted, has been tried by that same tribunal because the current head of government, Dr. Mohammad Younis, amended the law to allow this tribunal to try members of the previous government as well.
How a Tribunal Meant to Punish 1971 War Criminals Turned on Hasina:-
Now Sheikh Hasina escaped to India you will know on the fifth of August last year and she stays in India even now. Ah every former Home Minister Ah Kan Kamal has also fled and both have been living in India ever since. Now today is on the 17th of November which also happens to be her wedding anniversary. The ITC delivered this ruling. She was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity because the verdict followed a 28-day hearing and she was tried in absence but she was not in the country at the time and they went ead and tried her anyway. According to the Tribunal and this is what she has been accused of and found guilty of. Hasina ordered a sweeping violent crackdown on students protesting against courts and government jobs. The protest escalated into a nation wide anti government movement. According to the UN Human Rights Office a report estimated 14400 people were killed between 15th July and 15th August and there are some estimates that say there were children among those who were killed as well now the tribunal has found Hasina guilty on three counts the extermination of protesters to incitement through inflammatory remarks three directing the use of deadly weapons including fire ram helicopters and bronze against civilians.
Hasina’s Escape to India:-
The court said that Hasina Kamal and Mamun two of her associates acted in connivance to carry out these atrocities nation wide now in order to understand why this is so massive we have to first understand who Sheikh Hasina was. Now she was born in September 1947 in what was then called East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh. His Father Sheikh Mujibur Rman also led Bangladesh to independence. So he is the nation’s founding father and Hasina studied at the University of Dacca. Ah She Was Involved With Sudden Student Politics. Ah she married a nuclear scientist who was very quiet. He was an academic, but he sort of stayed her anchor until his death in 2009. She had two children. Her political destiny did change completely in 1975 when she was overseas and there was a military camp in the country and her father, her mother and three brothers were all assassinated during that military camp. She survived simply because she was not in the country.
The Charges Against Sheikh Hasina:-
India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at that time granted her a silelam and she returned to Bangladesh in 1981 and was elected Awami League leader in absentia. She served his Prime Minister, and she you know, she fought the elections and served his Prime Minister between 96 and 2001, and then again from 2009 till 2024, one of the longest continuous female leaderships of her country in the world.For example, Bangladesh is the fastest growing, one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.
Who Is Sheikh Hasina? A Daughter of Destiny:-
Were constantly comparing Bangladesh’s chart of growth to India’s chart of growth and it was, you know, there was a line that was just going up this way. Poverty felt sharply as massive infrastructure projects reshaped the entire country. Bangladeshi Mermaid as a Global Government Manufacturing Powerhouse. Ah the fortunes of women changed a lot. She enrolled children into schools, particularly pushed for female education and for better health outcomes. So you know Bangladesh was doing a lot of work to improve the health of its poorest people especially its women and Hasina was uploaded by the whole world for her for her achievements but at the same time here the criticism right crack down on dissent people who went up against her just simply disappeared mass arrests of opposition media restrictions wide spread allegations of enforcer disappearances extra judicial killings the elections that were held in 2014 2018 2024 were widely described as unfair and uncompetitive not just by the opposition who was losing those elections but also by international observers.
Her Legacy: Transforming Bangladesh:-
So what happened then was in 2024 the government attempted to bring in a new quota and government jobs for children of those who had fought the Independence War. Students began to protest the police and establishment crack down on that protest and then it sort of lit fires and it led to protests across the country against hasinas entire regime that crack down resulted in the death of 1400 people now that is when the government failed. Coming to the verdict, now Hasina has issued a fiery statement saying that the trial was rigged, biased, and driven by extremist figures of the unelected government. She said, she is not given a fair chance to defend herself. She was able to choose the lawyers of her choice. The Tribunal Was Not Impartial. And it was basically Scape getting her. But this is where it leaves India right because remember she is still in India. Following the verdict, Bangladesh has sent a formal diplomatic note to India saying, “And I Court will urge the Government of India to immediately hand over these two convicted individuals as a mandatory obligation under the Extradition Treaty that was signed in 2013 with India.
The Dark Side of Her Rule:-
Incidentally, ironically, by Hasina herself.” Now Bangladesh said that sheltering Hasina would be seen as an unfriendly act by India and legal advisors to the UN administration said that they will send in another letter in and one of them as actually said if India continues to shelter this mass word India must understand is an act of hostility against Bangladesh that language is escalated quite dramatically now what does the extrodition treaty say it says India and Bangladesh sign that extrodition treaty in 2013 Hasina Sina herself as Prime Minister. It says that India must extort anyone who is convicted and found guilty in Bangladesh. Unless the offence is political or the request is not made in good faith. Or the accused may face persecution or the judicial process does not meet fair standards. However, the treaty also mentions that murder and torture are not political offenses. So it’s sort of like putting India and abroad to how to interpret it in this situation. India has confirmed receiving that request of extradition. New Delhi has not confirmed a cause of action.
Hasina Rejects the Verdict:-
So, Indian officials will review at this point, the judicial process and whether it was fair, the political nature of the charges, the safety of Sheikh Hasina if she returns to her office, she is not going to be safe. The Broader Impact on India Bangladesh Relations All two experts who have been interviewed by various global media outlets are basically saying under no circumstances in India Likely to extra right here for Sheikh Hasina right now her entire future depends on New Delhi India has three options right extra right here which is the first option by basically saying that okay the trial was partial it meets legal standards but that seems really unlikely second option is to refuse the extradition saying that it’s politically motivated there human rights concerns but that would actually put India and Bangladesh at long ead again not an ideal situation the third most probable path is to just delay and to say that you know we are making a decision we are examining we are looking at it.
Bangladesh Demands Her Extradition:-
We are seeking legal advice and things like that effectively placing her in some long term exile where she is in India but she can’t go back to her own country. So the daughter of Bangladesh is the founding father, the longest-serving female leader of any country, a fugitive prime minister.Especially if there is someone who tracks Sheikh Hasina’s political career, you know. Especially the 15 years that she was in government. What Do You Believe?