'India saved my mother's life': Sheikh Hasina's son rejects legitimacy of her extradition

The son of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has launched a scathing attack on Dhaka's extradition request, dismissing the legal proceedings against his mother while warning India of a growing terrorism threat from across the border.

In an interview with ANI, Sajeeb Wazed Joy expressed profound gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting her asylum, claiming militants had been planning to assassinate her.

Wazed flatly rejected the legitimacy of Bangladesh's extradition request, alleging violation of judicial norms in the cases against his mother.

"They terminated 17 judges before the trial, amended laws illegally without parliamentary approval, and barred her defence attorneys from court proceedings," he told ANI. "When there is no due process whatsoever, no country is going to extradite."

He expressed confidence that Indian authorities would reject the request, citing the absence of proper legal procedures in Dhaka.

The ousted Prime Minister faces multiple charges in Bangladesh related to her 15-year tenure, but Wazed insists the judicial process has been fundamentally compromised by the interim government.

Explaining the circumstances of his mother's dramatic departure, Wazed credited India with saving her life.

"India has essentially saved my mother's life. If she hadn't left Bangladesh, the militants had planned on killing her," he said.

In claims likely to resonate with security establishments in New Delhi, Wazed alleged that the interim Yunus government has released "tens of thousands of terrorists" previously convicted under Sheikh Hasina's administration.

He claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba is now operating freely in Bangladesh, alleging links between its local branch and recent terror attacks in Delhi.

"I think Prime Minister Modi is probably very, very concerned about terrorism from Bangladesh," he said, directly connecting the political upheaval in Dhaka to India's security concerns.

The allegations come amid already strained relations between the two neighbours over treatment of minorities and border security.

In a significant escalation of his allegations, Wazed accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of arming militants who infiltrated last year's protests.

Citing video evidence of armed individuals amongst demonstrators, he said: "Without a doubt, these weapons had to have been supplied from somewhere in the subcontinent and the only possible source is ISI."

He also referenced recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who allegedly stated that the previous Biden administration spent "millions of dollars on regime change in Bangladesh" through USAID funding.

The Trump administration, Wazed suggested, appeared "more concerned about the threat of terrorism and the rise of Islamism in Bangladesh" than its predecessor, though he declined to confirm any direct contact with current US officials.