If the Awami League returns to power, the Sheikh Hasina-led government will push for the extradition of Tarique Rahman, the acting chairperson of Bangladesh’s main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Bangladesh is going to the polls on Sunday.
Mr. Rahman is the son of former President of Bangladesh, late Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia.
A key policy-maker
Mr. Rahman is the key policy-maker of the BNP and resides in London since his party lost the election a decade ago.
In an interaction with Indian journalists here, Prime Minister Hasina said: “Of course, I will try [to bring back Mr. Rahman]. He is our citizen and committed many crimes in this country… He is convicted in cases related to money laundering and the grenade attack of August 21 [2004], where many of our workers, including our leader Ivy Rahman was killed, [though] I was the target… He should be brought back.”
Bangladesh and Britain do not have an extradition treaty but Dhaka pushed for the pact last April during Foreign Secretary-level talks in London, mainly to bring Mr. Rahman back. Indian foreign intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, has repeatedly claimed that Mr. Rahman has strong connection with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI].
“We are negotiating with the British government to bring him back,” Ms. Hasina said to a separate question.
She did not deny limited ISI activity in Bangladesh. “There are pro-Pakistan families in Bangladesh, [there are] even those who are war criminals and they are emotionally still with Pakistan and we cannot deny that. They may try to create some chaos [during elections] but people will reject them,” she noted. She accused BNP of “taking money from Pakistan.” “They [BNP] do not have patriotism,” she said.
BNP is contesting the election in a broad coalition, Jatiyo Oikya Jote. While Islamist political outfit Jamaat-e-Islami is not allowed to contest the election, Jamaat’s office-bearers are contesting in 22 seats with the symbol of BNP, sheaf of paddy. All the Opposition parties have alleged that their workers are “attacked, threatened and tortured” by the Awami League supporters. The elections are neither free, nor fair, they said.
‘Internal feud’
Ms. Hasina blamed the BNP for the “attacks.” “It is a result of their [BNPs’] internal feud. They gave nominations to seven or eight persons in each seat [so that] they can collect money from each of them. There were genuinely good candidates among them who could have won. But later when it came to distribution of the party symbol [which can go to only one] they gave it to one of the many hopefuls and the factions started fighting among themselves. But in the end they all blamed Awami League for the violence.” BNP is “not even campaigning,” she said.
Without mentioning the word Teesta and the issue of sharing of river water – soon after the formal interaction with the journalists – the Prime Minister said that if “water comes [to Bangladesh], more Hilsha fish will go there [West Bengal]” while indicating that she does not want “to talk about [pending] issues now.”
