Sitting miles away from Dhaka, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lives in exile in New Delhi. He condemned the elections held in Bangladesh as a “farce” and a “farce”. Tariq Rahman And the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is poised to return to power 20 years after Rahman’s mother Khaleda Zia’s last term as prime minister.
Hasina has been living in Delhi since her ouster. Apart from occasional speeches and visits to Lodhi Gardens, the Awami League leader has remained largely off the radar. (AFP)In the run-up to Bangladesh’s elections, the BNP and other political parties have called on India to return Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka, especially after the former prime minister was sentenced to death for her violent crackdown on student protesters during the July uprising.
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With the BNP set to form the government in Dhaka, the Rahman-led party is expected to campaign for Hasina’s extradition from Delhi.
Hasina is in IndiaHasina has been living in Delhi since her ouster. Besides the occasional speech and Lodhi Garden Darshan, The Awami League leader is basically out of the radar.
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In January 2026, Hasina stunned Dhaka with an address from Delhi in which she called on citizens Rise against the Interim Government Under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus.
“To overthrow the foreign-serving puppet regime of this national enemy at any cost, the brave sons and daughters of Bangladesh must protect and restore the constitution written in the blood of martyrs, restore our freedom, protect our sovereignty and restore our democracy,” he said.
What does BNP’s victory in Hasina’s exile mean?By the sentence of the tribunal court Death of Sheikh Hasina In November 2025, political parties in Bangladesh called on India to return the Awami League leader.
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In an official statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry called on New Delhi to extradite Hasina, adding that “granting asylum to these persons, who have been convicted of crimes against humanity, would be a very unfriendly act and a contempt of justice by any other country.”
Bangladeshi authorities have also formally moved for Hasina’s return under the India-Bangladesh extradition framework. Along with this, BNP leaders have also repeatedly called on Delhi to hand him over.
Senior BNP figures described the issue as an issue of legal obligations and sovereignty and said the bilateral relationship must move “beyond Sheikh Hasina”.
The BNP’s claim also comes amid strained relations between India and Bangladesh, which came to light when Hasina fled Dhaka during the student agitation in 2024. With the BNP’s return to Parliament, the Rahman-led party may formally call for Hasina’s return.
What did India say?After the tribunal court’s verdict in favor of Sheikh Hasina, India said it took note of the verdict, but later added that the decision rested with the former prime minister.
Addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar He said that Hasina had come to Delhi under “specific circumstances”.
“And, you know, I think that circumstance is obviously a factor in what happens to him. But again, it’s something that he has to make up his mind about,” Jaishankar said.
