If Tarique Rahman wants to return, travel pass can be issued in a day

Foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain has said that if acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, wishes to return to Bangladesh, a “travel pass” could be issued to him within a single day.

He made the remark in response to questions from journalists during a “DCAB Talk” organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the National Press Club in the city today, Sunday.

The adviser was speaking to DCAB members on the topic, “Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy: Defining a Relevant Role in a Changing World.”

When asked about the prospect of Tarique Rahman’s return, Touhid Hossain said, “There is no restriction if Tarique Rahman wants to come back. A travel pass can be issued in one day. And if former prime minister Khaleda Zia needs to travel abroad due to ill health, any assistance required from the interim government will be provided.”

Regarding the former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who has been sentenced to death in a case concerning crimes against humanity and is hiding in India, the adviser said there is no official information suggesting India will extradite him first.

Recently, in a Facebook post, the chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam wrote that he was “fairly certain” India would soon return Asaduzzaman Khan to Bangladesh.

Asked whether relations would be affected if former prime minister Sheikh Hasina is not extradited, Touhid Hossain replied, “If Sheikh Hasina is not returned, the bilateral relationship will not hinge on a single issue.”

After the political changeover in 2007, popularly known as 1/11 events, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, left the country with his family in 2008 upon being released from prison. Since then, he has been living in the United Kingdom and running the party from abroad throughout this period.

Following the ousting of the Awami League from power through last year’s July uprising and the subsequent annulment of Tarique Rahman’s convictions in various cases, discussions began regarding his possible return.

Although BNP leaders have said that he will return soon, they have not provided any specific dates.

Meanwhile, after Khaleda Zia fell seriously ill and was admitted to hospital, her condition becoming critical, rumours circulated last Friday that Tarique Rahman would return to the country imminently.

However, Tarique Rahman on Saturday morning (Bangladesh time), posted a status on his verified Facebook page from London. He wrote, “In such a time of crisis, like any child, I too have an intense yearning to feel my mother’s affectionate touch. But unlike everyone else, I do not have the unfettered freedom or unilateral authority to make this happen.”

Without clarifying where the obstacle lies, he added, “There is limited scope to elaborate on this sensitive issue. Our family hopes that as soon as the political realities reach the expected stage, the long, anxious wait for my return to my homeland will finally come to an end.”

Later in the afternoon that day, the chief adviser’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, wrote in a Facebook post regarding Tarique Rahman’s return, “The government has no restrictions or objections in this matter.”