Dhaka: The government is hopeful of the extradition of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today. "It is the nation's desire (to get her back)....we are very hopeful," he told a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy here this evening.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, when asked whether it is possible to bring Hasina back home during the tenure of the interim government, Alam said political parties are their stakeholders and hoped that the next elected government, whoever it is, would look into the issue as it is a generational issue. "We will try our best. She must face the trial. I think pressure will build on. Our pressure will relentlessly be there," he said, adding that such pressure will be mobilised worldwide.
Replying to a question, the press secretary noted that no country in the world gives shelter to a killer and expressed confidence that when the world becomes aware of the misdeeds of Hasina, pressure will be mounted to extradite the ousted prime minister. Alam highlighted that there is no boundary to Hasina's wrongdoings, citing events from the January 5 polls to the July-August massacre, emphasizing the need to bring Hasina back to the country and put her under trial.
Responding to another query over the note verbal sent to India, Alam mentioned that they have not yet received any response from the Indian side regarding her extradition request but assured that the government's efforts are ongoing to bring her back. "It remains our top priority. We will not step back from this," he added.