Sheikh Hasina’s promise to return to Bangladesh has put India in a bind. New Delhi must balance its old ties with her against its relations with Dhaka
India has faced this dilemma since Sheikh Hasina came to India in 2024, seeking shelter from what is now termed a Gen Z uprising. India had a great friend in Hasina, whom India has honoured to date. It is also the reason India draws flak from the Bangladesh government and people who see the wrongs done by her to eliminate her opponents and promote her party, the Awami League, at the cost of the people of Bangladesh, who saw nepotism in its worst form, leading to the protests which ultimately led her to flee the country and eventually the awarding of a death sentence by a Tribunal in her absence.
Bangladesh insists on extradition and India on her safety. However, on November 9, her London-based lawyers asked Bangladesh’s mission in Delhi for a new passport and national identity card; it was clear Hasina was contemplating a return to her country, though not through extradition but through her own free will, risking her life, This puts India in a spot, as it dilutes its resolve to protect Hasina from a certain execution. India’s reported “guarantee” reveals Delhi’s thinking. India has reportedly asked Bangladesh’s army to receive and protect her, and wants a guarantee that she will not be sent to the gallows and that a fresh trial under international scrutiny would be held. New Delhi’s stance is logical and humane. It is common knowledge that the circumstances in which she was handed over the death warrant were against the very maxims of jurisprudence. A trial in absentia risks becoming little more than a kangaroo court, with the outcome seemingly predetermined and the accused denied a fair opportunity to appear, defend herself and challenge the charges. In this scenario, Delhi wants a retrial. India’s options are narrow. It can extradite; It can shelter her indefinitely, which corrodes ties with an elected government. Or it can broker a conditional return. Only the third option, at the moment, looks the way to go. Indeed, she will have to go else her party Awami League would be totally wiped off and her supporters feel let down by her. The December pledge is more of a rallying cry for her banned Awami League rather than a travel plan. Whatever the motive, her fate would be grim. Landing today means arrest and a sentence Dhaka’s officials say will be carried out. She must not return on these terms. A flight into custody without guarantees is not courage but a gamble with her life. If she seeks to face justice, the road is a credible, internationally observed retrial, guaranteed in writing. India must tread carefully. First, no extradition to the gallows. Sheltering an old friend is a duty; letting her campaign is a liability, as her August 5 video news conference showed by stalling Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first visit. Second, turn the reported guarantees into a discreet, formal proposal asking Dhaka for accountability and ensure she lives.
Third, widen the agenda. The Ganga water treaty Hasina signed in 1996 expires in December, the very month she has chosen to come home, which can be leveraged. Hasina must be protected, but at the same timeBangladesh’s victims deserve justice, and its government deserves respect. India must balance the two.