There is no legal or administrative barrier to the return of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to Bangladesh, according to Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen. (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. 

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Salna Highway Police Station in Gazipur on Thursday (June 12) morning, the adviser said Tarique, as a Bangladeshi citizen, is free to return at any time.

“He can return whenever he feels the time is right,” Jahangir Alam stated in response to a journalist’s question about the exiled political leader, who has been residing in the United Kingdom since 2008 and was convicted in absentia in multiple cases in Bangladesh.

Addressing the recent spate of forced returns across the border, the Home Affairs Adviser expressed concern over the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly pushing Bangladeshi nationals into the country without coordination. 

“Those who are being pushed in from India are not returning through legal means. They are being brought back inhumanely, through the jungle and along roads,” he said.

He added that Bangladesh is prepared to take back its citizens residing in India, but emphasized the importance of following proper diplomatic and legal procedures. 

“We have informed the Indian High Commission, and our Foreign Affairs Advisor has also discussed the matter,” he said.

Jahangir Alam also said that efforts are underway at airports and other entry points to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 from travelers arriving from abroad, including India.

During his visit, the advisor was accompanied by Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, Highway Police DIG Shafiqul Islam, Gazipur Superintendent of Police Dr Jaber Sadek, and other senior police officials.

SMS/