Shakib wants to return if assured of security; state minister says no scope through normal process
Cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has said that he is ready to return to the country. However, he wants a guarantee or assurance of security from the government before doing so, he told news agency Reuters yesterday, Friday.
Shakib said that if he is assured of security, he wants to return to the country, legally face all the cases filed against him, including a murder case, and play his farewell series.
In this regard, state minister for youth and sports, Aminul Haque, said in a statement yesterday that there is no longer any scope for Shakib Al Hasan to return to the country through the normal process because of his political position.
The minister of state said, “We had been looking at the matter very with leniently and with tolerance. Even so, I don’t think it''s possible to think about it in that way anymore.”
Saying that Shakib must return to the country through legal process, the minister of state added, “Someone (Shakib Al Hasan) who taken to the stage of the autocrat, does not have any chance to come back like that. As a player, we had been considering the matter differently, and we were flexible. But there is no opportunity now. If he comes, he will have to come through the legal process.”
Shakib Al Hasan was a former member of parliament from Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government following the July mass uprising, he has been living in Long Island, New York, with his wife and three children.
While in Sri Lanka playing franchise cricket, Shakib told Reuters by phone, “If the government guarantees my security, I will gladly return home. I am willing to do whatever is necessary, including facing the courts.” He said, “I know that I have not committed any crime.”
Shakib also told Reuters that he wants to return to the country immediately. However, if that is not possible, he will try to return together with Sheikh Hasina. Explaining his position, he said, “We follow what the captain (referring to Sheikh Hasina) says. I think they will make the best decision on this matter. We will follow whatever instructions we are given.”
Last Wednesday, Shakib took part in Sheikh Hasina’s virtual press conference from Delhi. Regarding his participation in the press conference, Shakib said that he had simply called for peace and Bangladesh’s progress. He said he had no regrets.
Shakib said that during the previous interim government, he had sent letters through a lawyer to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Sports, and the police. Describing the cases filed against him as “fabricated,” he had requested that they be withdrawn. He said he received no response.
Shakib is very keen to speak with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman about returning to the country. However, Reuters, citing a spokesperson for Tarique Rahman, reported that Shakib is facing the consequences of being a member of a “fallen, defeated and fugitive fascist government.”
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abu Abdullah M. Saleh told Reuters in a statement, “There is absolutely nothing the current government can do to make room for Shakib Al Hasan in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh again.”
Clarifying the government’s position, the press secretary further said, “Regardless of identity or position, the laws of Bangladesh apply equally to everyone. In the eyes of the law, Shakib Al Hasan is an accused person. To face the judicial process, he must surrender to a court in Bangladesh.”