The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), opposition Jamaat-e-Islami, and National Citizens Party (NCP) have also expressed anger over the incident. The issue has also drawn criticism in the Indian media. India’s leading newspaper, The Indian Express, published an editorial stating that although India’s decision to provide Sheikh Hasina refuge may be justified on the grounds of the unfairness of the legal process, allowing Indian soil to be turned into a political platform is problematic.

This incident has come at a time when New Delhi is trying to rebuild relations with Dhaka after a year and a half of tensions with the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus.

We were seeing signs of new possibilities emerging in the post-election period for rebuilding bilateral relations between the two countries, restoring commercial momentum, and addressing long-pending issues such as electricity, water sharing, and border management. At the same time, the Indian government has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, in his capacity as chair of BIMSTEC, to the outreach session of the BRICS Summit to be held in India. Diplomacy experts believe that, at such a promising juncture, this move from New Delhi could once again create mistrust and suspicion in the relationship.

Bangladesh has always believed in the principles of mutual trust, respect, dignity, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. But are these values being reflected on India’s part? On the one hand, India has been dragging its feet on handing over a convicted fugitive, disregarding the 2013 extradition treaty; on the other, allowing more than a thousand fugitive leaders, activists, and military officers of the banned Awami League to use Indian soil to pursue conspiracies against Bangladesh can in no way be regarded as the conduct of a good neighbour.