The government on Monday reiterated that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina would be taken into custody if she surrenders, as efforts continue to secure her extradition to Bangladesh.

"If she surrenders, the existing law will be followed. She will have to go to jail. The law will take its own course," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shama Obaed said Hasina's recent remarks from abroad appear intended to encourage Awami League leaders and activists who have either gone into hiding or fled the country. "I see no other reason," she said.

She said Hasina has already been convicted and that the decision on where and when she surrenders rests entirely with her.

Bangladesh has formally requested India to extradite Hasina under the bilateral extradition treaty.

Wherever she surrenders - whether in India or Bangladesh - she will have to go to jail first, Shama Obaed said, adding that the government has no reason to respond to statements made by a convicted person.

She said Bangladesh is making sustained diplomatic efforts to bring Hasina back to face trial, although acknowledging that the extradition process takes time.

Three ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have been pursuing the matter since the new government assumed office in February, building on efforts initiated under the interim government.

The government believes the people of Bangladesh want Hasina to be extradited.

Meanwhile, International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam recently urged Hasina to refrain from any political activities that could further destabilise the country, saying Bangladesh wants her immediate return.

"Whether you come in December or January is your decision. But we want you tomorrow. Therefore, do not stage any stunts or create further instability in the country," he said on Saturday while responding to reports that Hasina plans to return to Bangladesh in December.

India, meanwhile, reiterated in April that it is examining Bangladesh's extradition request through its judicial and domestic legal processes.

"There is a request... the request is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes," Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi, adding that India would continue to engage constructively with all stakeholders on the matter.

On April 8, Bangladesh renewed its request for the extradition of Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both of whom have been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal.

"We will continue to seek her extradition through a transparent judicial process. It has been discussed and will be dealt with through a transparent judicial process," Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir told reporters in Dhaka.