India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said Bangladesh’s fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina cannot conduct political activities from Indian soil. The position was reported by The Indian Express on Friday after Hasina said she intended to return to Bangladesh by the end of this year. In a statement to the Lok Sabha’s parliamentary standing committee on external affairs, the ministry said Dhaka’s request for her return was being examined under Indian laws and rules.

The committee, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, said Hasina had been allowed to remain in India under the country’s long humanitarian tradition of sheltering people facing serious danger or threats to life. It said India nevertheless follows a strict principle that its territory cannot be used for political activity against another country. Citing Bangladesh Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman, the report said Hasina could be arrested immediately upon returning from India to Bangladesh.

In its report on the future of India-Bangladesh relations, the committee recommended maintaining this principled and humanitarian position while handling the matter sensitively. It also urged a quicker normalization of visas for Bangladeshi citizens, prompt talks on renewing the Ganges water-sharing treaty due to expire in 2026, and continued diplomatic focus on protecting minority communities in Bangladesh.