State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be sent to jail if she surrenders, while the government continues its efforts to secure her extradition from India.
Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, the state minister said legal procedures would be followed if Hasina returned to Bangladesh.
"If she surrenders, steps will be taken as per the existing law. She will have to land in jail. The law will take its own course," she said.
Shama Obaed said Hasina's recent remarks from abroad appeared to be aimed at encouraging Awami League leaders and activists who had either gone into hiding or fled the country.
"Instead of surrendering, her remarks from a foreign land appear to be an effort to inspire Awami League leaders and activists who either went into hiding or fled. I see no other reason," she said.
The state minister said Hasina had already been convicted and that the timing of her surrender was entirely her own decision.
The government has already requested India to hand over Hasina under the bilateral extradition treaty, she added.
Her comments came days after International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam urged Hasina to refrain from political activities that could create instability and called for her immediate return to Bangladesh.
"Whether you come in December or January is your decision. But we want you tomorrow. Therefore, do not stage any stunts or create further instability in the country," he said on Saturday, responding to reports that Hasina intended to return to Bangladesh in December.
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