Sheikh Hasina’s Death Penalty is Impacting South Asian Diplomacy

By T N Ashok A Bangladesh special tribunal on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity, a thunderous verdict against a once-dominant political force whose 15-year rule collapsed under the weight of student protests, economic frustration, and accusations of deepening authoritarianism. The decision — delivered as crowds outside chanted “Justice for the martyrs!” — instantly reshaped South Asia’s political landscape. It also thrust India, Bangladesh’s largest neighbour and Hasina’s longtime ally, into a diplomatic crisis it has so far answered with studied silence. Hasina, 78, convicted in absentia from her refuge in India, denounced…