Not aware of any legal bar to Tarique Rahman’s return: Law adviser
Law adviser Asif Nazrul has said that in his knowledge there is no legal bar to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s return to the country.
Even if there is any, the government will provide utmost cooperation, he added.
The Law adviser said, “I am not aware of any legal barrier to the acting chairman of the BNP coming to Bangladesh. And if there is any barrier, of course, we will provide full cooperation. We will also ensure the highest level of support for his security.”
Asif Nazrul said this in response to a query during a press conference at the secretariat on Monday afternoon.
Professor Asif Nazrul said that Tarique Rahman is best placed to determine the appropriate time for his return. The adviser believes that he will come to the country at the right time.
BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman went to the United Kingdom in 2008 after being released from prison following the ‘1/11 changeover’. He has not returned to the country since and has been running the party from abroad.
Discussion about Tarique Rahman’s return began after last year’s July mass uprising, which led to the fall of the Awami League government and the annulment of his sentences in various cases. Although BNP leaders have said that Tarique Rahman will return soon, they have not provided a specific date.
Amid this, after BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia fell ill and was hospitalised, with her life becoming critical, there were reports last Friday that Tarique Rahman would return to the country soon.
However, on Saturday morning Bangladesh time, Tarique Rahman posted on his verified Facebook page from London, stating, “Like any son, I have a strong desire to feel my mother’s affection in such a crisis. But, like everyone else, the ability to make a unilateral decision in implementing this is not solely mine, nor entirely under my control.”
Without specifying the problem, Tarique Rahman wrote in his post, “There is limited scope to provide a detailed account of this sensitive matter. Our family is hopeful that my long-awaited return to the motherland will take place as soon as the political reality reaches the expected stage.”
Meanwhile, while addressing a press conference on Sunday, foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain said, “There are no restrictions if Tarique Rahman wishes to come to the country, there are no restrictions, and a travel pass can be issued in a single day.”
The adviser also said, “The rule is that if someone wishes to come but does not have a passport or it has expired, we issue a one-time pass for entry into the country. This process takes one day. So, if he says today that he will come, we could issue it tomorrow, and the day after he could board the plane. There is no difficulty in this. We can provide it.”