Sheikh Hasina's extradition call not related to Indian visa extension: MoFA spokesperson
Usually, when a passport is revoked, the visa becomes irrelevant. Beyond this, we do not have additional information, so we will not speculate, he says
Seeking ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's extradition has no connection with her current status in India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has said.
"As a Bangladeshi citizen, we have requested India to return Sheikh Hasina. Her status in India has no relevance to this request. It is not a matter of our concern," MoFA spokesperson Rafiqul Alam said in response to a question at the weekly briefing at the ministry today (9 January).
Regarding reports of Sheikh Hasina's Indian visa extension despite her Bangladeshi passport being revoked, he said, "Usually, when a passport is revoked, the visa becomes irrelevant. Beyond this, we do not have additional information, so we will not speculate."
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Rafiqul Alam further explained that when a Bangladeshi citizen's passport is cancelled, the government of the respective country is informed through Bangladesh's missions. In such cases, a visa is no longer required.
When asked about how long India could delay responding to Bangladesh's note verbale and the diplomatic process involved, he said, "There is no black-and-white answer to this. We will wait for India's response.
In response to a question about whether Bangladesh would limit visas for Indian citizens, the spokesperson said, "This is a matter for the Ministry of Home Affairs."
According to media reports, India has extended the visa of Sheikh Hasina, who has been there since last August.
However, on 23 December, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus sought her extradition through a note verbale, or unsigned diplomatic correspondence, sent to India's Ministry of External Affairs.
About border tension, Rafiqul said they are aware of the latest border killing. "Our concern wing is collecting more information about it".
He further stated all information regarding the July massacre would be provided to the UN Fact-Finding Committee within the next week.
