Sheikh Hasina was given only 45 minutes to leave Bangladesh. Soon after she left the country, protesters stormed her official residence Ganabhaban and vandalised and looted the premises. Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana landed at Ghaziabad’s Hindon Airport on Monday evening in a C-130J transport plane. She wanted to go to Britain for political asylum. But the UK, famous for granting political asylum around the world, has created doubts about granting asylum citing some rules. Sources say that looking at the way America has canceled Sheikh Hasina’s USA visa, it seems that Britain will hardly grant political asylum to Sheikh Hasina. At the same time, discussions are also in full swing that what will happen if she does not get asylum in Britain, will she stay in India or choose some other option?
Foreign Affairs minister Jaishankar on the issue
Foreign Minister Jaishankar said in Parliament that Sheikh Hasina had sought permission to come to India immediately after resigning from the post of Prime Minister and India had arranged for her safe travel on short notice. Earlier, he said in an all-party meeting on Tuesday that Sheikh Hasina was in shock. The government was giving her some time before talking. She will decide on her own about her future.
The British government reply
Sheikh Hasina is accompanied by her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, who is a British citizen. Her niece, Sheikh Rehana’s daughter, Tulip Siddiqui is a member of the British Parliament and is the Economic Secretary of the Treasury and the Labour MP from Hampstead and Highgate. In view the same, it is believed that Britain would easily grant her political asylum. But the British government has dashed her hopes by refusing to give her any kind of legal protection. The British government has told Sheikh Hasina that if any legal proceedings are initiated against her, Britain will not defend her. After which Sheikh Hasina has also started considering other options. By the way, Sheikh Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wajed lives in Delhi as the regional head of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, this may not open any way for her, as she works for an international agency.
However, the British Home Office said that there was no provision to allow a person to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary asylum. According to British rules, people who need international protection must first seek asylum in a safe country – this is the fastest way to get protection. At the same time, it is also an indication that they may not be allowed to travel to Britain. This also means that Britain is asking Hasina to seek asylum in India.
Nawaz Sharif also stayed in Britain
The UK has granted political asylum to leaders, political agents and even spies from many countries. The UK has granted asylum to former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers, Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko and many others. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif lived in London for four years after being convicted of corruption charges. In 2019, while serving a 14-year prison sentence for corruption, the former Pakistan Prime Minister moved to London for treatment. This happened when the Supreme Court of Pakistan banned him from politics for life in 2017 in a case related to the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif returned to Pakistan only last October.
Sheikh Hasina not to make political comeback
Following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said his mother wouldn’t be returning to politics. An adviser to PM, Sajeeb claimed that she had been pondering if she would step down since Sunday.
Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Bangladesh Prime Minister on Monday left the country for her safety, was retiring from politics, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told BBC News. Joy said that Hasina was extremely disappointed with the recent developments despite having turned Bangladesh’s economy around.
Since 2009, when Hasina came to power, Bangladesh’s economy has grown by an average of over 6% annually and pulled millions out of poverty.
Despite the economic progress, there was latent discontent among people over her strict rule. There were questions regarding the fairness of the elections that made her return to power. That is what turned the quota protests, leveraged by the opposition, into an agitation to end her rule.
What are Hasina’s other options?
If not India or Britain, where can Hasina go next? Sources say that she is also exploring the option of going to Scandinavian countries. It is also being said that she can also take refuge in Russia or any European country. Apart from this, Hasina has another option, although it is very unlikely, that she returns to Bangladesh. Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy has already said that she will not return to Bangladesh. Meanwhile, sources shared that Hasina could also go to Dubai. According to them, the original plan was to make a technical stopover to refuel the plane, which is of a few hours. After this, she was to either fly to Dubai, from where she had to go to London alone, or go to London from Delhi by a chartered plane. However, Sheikh Hasina has not yet taken any decision regarding the further program.
Why can Hasina’s stay in India become a problem?
If Britain does not grant asylum to Hasina, India will face a diplomatic dilemma of either allowing Hasina to stay in the country or letting her leave. If the Indian government allows the former Bangladesh Prime Minister to stay in the country, it will send a message that India is supporting a deposed leader. Also, it may complicate relations with the new Bangladesh government giving rise to anti-India sentiments. If India wants to keep its position strong in the neighbourhood, it cannot isolate or perturb Bangladesh.
However, Sheikh Hasina and her family have old historical ties with India. When her family was killed during the unrest in Bangladesh in 1975, the Indira Gandhi government gave her asylum. Moreover, during her 15-year tenure, she respected India’s security interests and did not allow Bangladesh to be used against India. So, given her equations with Delhi, leaving her at this time will also not be an easy decision.
Sheikh Hasina lived in Lajpat Nagar and Pandara Road
In 1975, when Mujibur Rahman was elected the first President of the new country of Bangladesh, the army of the country revolted. On the morning of 15 August 1975, some armed fighters entered Sheikh Hasina’s house and killed 17 members of her family, including her parents and brothers. When all this was happening at the President’s residence, Sheikh Hasina was in Europe with her husband Wajid Miyan and sister Sheikh Rihana. From 1975 to 1977, Sheikh Hasina lived in India with her husband Wajid Miyan. Sheikh Hasina first shifted to this bungalow on Ring Road and then to Pandara Road. After which she rented bungalow number 56 in Lajpat Nagar-3, in which Hotel Diplomat Regency presently exists. Her stay in Delhi was kept so secret that her husband Wajid Miyan lived as Mr Majumdar and Sheikh Hasina lived as Majumdar. Sheikh Hasina had told Indira Gandhi about coming to India, after which the Indian government had arranged for her stay. Hasina’s husband was a scientist, who got a job in the Atomic Energy Commission located in New Delhi where he worked for seven years. After living in India for six years, Sheikh Hasina returned to her homeland Bangladesh on May 17, 1981. Lakhs of people arrived at the airport in her support. Despite this, she had to face a lot of difficulties. She was jailed on corruption charges. Finally, she came to power in 1996 and became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first time.
India had given asylum to Dalai Lama
However, India had given asylum to Dalai Lama on March 30, 1959 on the orders of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Former President of Maldives Mohammed Nasheed took refuge in the Indian High Commission in Male in 2013. Earlier, former Maldives Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor had also sought political asylum in India. He was arrested by the Maldives police in 2019, but was sent back to Maldives by Indian authorities. Gafoor had arrived in Tamil Nadu with nine crew members on a cargo ship. He was not allowed to disembark and was questioned on the ship by various Central agencies.
What is political asylum?
Under the rules of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), political asylum or asylum is given by some countries to those who fear persecution in their country. According to the British government, if a person wants to stay in the country as a refugee, he must apply for asylum. People who have fled their country and are unable to return due to danger are eligible to apply for it. Such people can also be called migrants or refugees. Under the rule, once asylum is granted, the person gets protection from being sent back to his or her country. These refugees are out of the reach of the governments or rulers of their country as long as they do not violate British laws. According to statistics, the UK government settled 112,000 claims for asylum last year.
Who can seek asylum?
Under international law, any person has the right to apply for asylum in any country that has signed the 1951 Convention and stay there until the authorities evaluate his claim. The 1951 Convention recognizes that people fleeing persecution may have to use irregular means to escape and seek refuge in another country. The 1951 Refugee Convention gives everyone the right to apply for asylum. It has saved millions of lives. No country has ever backed down from it.
