Hasina’s visa extension not welcomed: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday said the people of Bangladesh have not reacted positively to India's decision to extend former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visa.
"Sheikh Hasina's visa extension is an internal matter of India, but we cannot rule out the possibility of ill intentions behind it," Rizvi told reporters after meeting the family of Shahriar Khan Anas, a student who was killed during the July-August mass uprising in Dhaka's Gendaria area.
Rizvi, accompanied by organisers of "Amra BNP Poribar", consoled the family of Anas, a 10th-grade student of Gendaria Adarsha School, who was killed during the student-led uprising.
Referring to Sheikh Hasina as a "killer," Rizvi said India, being a democratic nation, should reconsider sheltering someone accused of such acts.
"Sheikh Hasina is responsible for the deaths of children, adolescents, youth, rickshaw pullers, and CNG drivers. How could a democratic country grant her shelter and extend her visa? The people of Bangladesh have not taken this positively," he remarked.
The BNP leader also accused India of adopting a "domineering and aggressive" stance toward Bangladesh. He alleged that India undermines Bangladesh's sovereignty and disregards the sacrifices made for the country's independence and democracy.
Indian media reports suggest that India extended Hasina's visa following a formal request for her extradition from Bangladesh's interim government. A note verbale was sent to India's Ministry of External Affairs on December 23 to this effect.
Hasina, 77, has been residing in India since August last year after fleeing Bangladesh amid widespread protests that led to her resignation.
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