No info on Asaduzzman's extradition at MoFA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) says it has received no official information regarding the possible extradition of former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, despite recent claims that India may hand him over at the beginning of the extradition process.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain clarified the government’s position while responding to journalists at a session titled “Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy: Defining a Relevant Role in a Changing World,” organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the National Press Club on Monday, November 30.

“I do not have any such information that Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal will be extradited first. There is no official confirmation in this regard,” he said.

Touhid’s remarks follow statements made by Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, who claimed on social media that India would hand over Asaduzzaman at the outset of the process.

In a Facebook post on Friday, November 28, Shafiqul Alam stated that India would initiate the extradition process by returning Asaduzzaman, who is currently in India and has been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal.

The tribunal issued death sentences against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on November 17 in a crimes against humanity case related to killings during the July Movement.

Following the verdict, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi officially requested India to extradite Sheikh Hasina, sending a diplomatic letter to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Dhaka had earlier sent its first extradition request for Hasina in December last year.

In another detailed Facebook post, Shafiqul Alam said he was “increasingly convinced” that Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal would be extradited very soon to face justice.

He wrote that he believed Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and other Awami League leaders accused in the July massacres would eventually be brought before the Bangladeshi justice system, adding that India was reviewing Dhaka’s extradition request.

Shafiqul referred to Asaduzzaman as the “Butcher of Dhaka” and claimed his alleged role in killings and enforced disappearances would draw growing international attention.

“No matter how much money Kamal or other BAL leaders may spend, there will be no escaping accountability forever,” he wrote, concluding: “It will start with Kamal and then …”