Bringing back Bangabandhu killers
Published: 12:00 AM, 17 August 2016
Foreign ministry's insincerity alleged
The Awami League government has long been trying to bring back the six killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman hiding abroad, but no significant headway is visible yet. After five other killers were executed in 2010, police made Interpol issue 'red corner notices' for the absconding death-row convicts.
So far, they have been succeeded to become 'almost certain' about the whereabouts of five of them, Interpol's Bangla-desh chapter National Central Bureau (NCB) chief Rafiqul Islam Gani said. "We don't know for sure where Risaldar Moslehuddin (Khan) is right now," he said. The other five are Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, M Rashed Chowdhury, AHMB Noor Chowdhury and Abdul Mazed. All of them are former army officers. Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said "We urged the concerned countries to bring back Bangabandhu killers.
We said you (concerned countries) always said about humanity. So it is time to prove your desire on this by send back Sheikh Mujib killers." Foreign ministry can say well how much they are sincere to bring back rest of Bangabandhu killers, he added. Veteran diplomat and former national and international coordinator of the trial of murderers of Bangabandhu, Wali-ur Rahman told The Asian Age that the government, especially Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is sincere enough and working to return the fugitive killers. However, the focus has been changed. I had been the head of the task force. We once fixed the dates with India and USA to send them formal letters on the matter. But it was slowed down due to change of the government in 2001. I think since that time the initiative is not adequate. We need more sincerity to bring back the killers.
Eminent journalist, columnist and essayist, Syed Abul Maksud told the Asian Age that government is sincere to bring back the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman since it assumed power. Some professional diplomats have been given the responsibility work in this regard. They can do routine work but they are not efficient in doing this level of lobbying. They are not skilled enough. "I think political lobbying is necessary to bring back Mujib killers. And government should do it with skilled hand."
According to a bdnews24.com report, Rafiqul Islam Gani said, "Efforts are on to bring back the fugitives. Talks are ongoing at Interpol and diplomatic levels."When asked, he could not say when the attempts will bear fruit. "We can't say anything for certain now. At the moment, there is no new progress."Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the Father of the Nation, had said in September last year in Parliament that Rashid had gone to Pakistan from Libya. Dalim was also in Pakistan. The four others are either in the US or Canada.
The Canadian government has already made it clear that they would not deport Noor, who lives in Toronto, to Bangladesh where he will face the death penalty.The US is also unwilling to send back Abdur Rashid, who is in Los Angeles. Police have information that Mazed is in Senegal.
Mentionably, five convicts were hanged on January 27, 2010. They were Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahariar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, Mohiuddin Ahmed and AKM Mohiuddin. Another convict, Abdul Aziz Pasha, who was hiding in Zimbabwe, died there in 2001. After their executions, government high ups on several occasions had pledged the death-row convicts who are hiding abroad will be brought back and hanged. But no effective measures have been taken yet to deliver on their promise.
According to the sources Colonel Abdur Rashid and Major Shariful Haque Dalim are living in Pakistan by using different names and Pakistani nationality since 2009. Abdur Rashid is running construction business both inside Pakistan and a number of African counties. His company owns construction machinery worth few million dollars, which are scattered to various construction sites around the world. Major Dalim is doing manpower business while he holds 15 percent share in a cotton spinning and readymade garment industry in Pakistan.
Colonel Abdur Rashid's grandchildren are doing restaurant business in Dubai, while he also is exporting non-alcoholic perfume to various Western countries. Contacted, former Bangladesh ambassador to Nepal Professor Neem Chandra Bhaumik said foreign ministry has some negligence to bring back Bangabandhu killers. They should be more active and use related countries media where six fugitive killers are staying. In the US, Bangladesh can use congressmen and senators for lobbying to bring back Mujib killers. Foreign ministry should apply all sorts of techniques on this regard.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members of his family on August 15, 1975, by a group of rogue army officers at his Dhanmondi residence in capital Dhaka.His daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana escaped the massacre as they were in Europe at that time. After the gruesome murders, 12 army officers involved had been awarded with jobs in diplomatic missions abroad in 1977 when General Ziaur Rahman, who founded the BNP, captured power through a military coup.
Bangladesh's first military ruler later promulgated the Indemnity Ordinance to save the self-proclaimed killers of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The ordinance was repealed on November 12, 1996, when the Awami League returned to power 21 years later, paving the path to bring the killers to book.
So far, they have been succeeded to become 'almost certain' about the whereabouts of five of them, Interpol's Bangla-desh chapter National Central Bureau (NCB) chief Rafiqul Islam Gani said. "We don't know for sure where Risaldar Moslehuddin (Khan) is right now," he said. The other five are Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, M Rashed Chowdhury, AHMB Noor Chowdhury and Abdul Mazed. All of them are former army officers. Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said "We urged the concerned countries to bring back Bangabandhu killers.
We said you (concerned countries) always said about humanity. So it is time to prove your desire on this by send back Sheikh Mujib killers." Foreign ministry can say well how much they are sincere to bring back rest of Bangabandhu killers, he added. Veteran diplomat and former national and international coordinator of the trial of murderers of Bangabandhu, Wali-ur Rahman told The Asian Age that the government, especially Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is sincere enough and working to return the fugitive killers. However, the focus has been changed. I had been the head of the task force. We once fixed the dates with India and USA to send them formal letters on the matter. But it was slowed down due to change of the government in 2001. I think since that time the initiative is not adequate. We need more sincerity to bring back the killers.
Eminent journalist, columnist and essayist, Syed Abul Maksud told the Asian Age that government is sincere to bring back the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman since it assumed power. Some professional diplomats have been given the responsibility work in this regard. They can do routine work but they are not efficient in doing this level of lobbying. They are not skilled enough. "I think political lobbying is necessary to bring back Mujib killers. And government should do it with skilled hand."
According to a bdnews24.com report, Rafiqul Islam Gani said, "Efforts are on to bring back the fugitives. Talks are ongoing at Interpol and diplomatic levels."When asked, he could not say when the attempts will bear fruit. "We can't say anything for certain now. At the moment, there is no new progress."Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the Father of the Nation, had said in September last year in Parliament that Rashid had gone to Pakistan from Libya. Dalim was also in Pakistan. The four others are either in the US or Canada.
The Canadian government has already made it clear that they would not deport Noor, who lives in Toronto, to Bangladesh where he will face the death penalty.The US is also unwilling to send back Abdur Rashid, who is in Los Angeles. Police have information that Mazed is in Senegal.
Mentionably, five convicts were hanged on January 27, 2010. They were Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahariar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, Mohiuddin Ahmed and AKM Mohiuddin. Another convict, Abdul Aziz Pasha, who was hiding in Zimbabwe, died there in 2001. After their executions, government high ups on several occasions had pledged the death-row convicts who are hiding abroad will be brought back and hanged. But no effective measures have been taken yet to deliver on their promise.
According to the sources Colonel Abdur Rashid and Major Shariful Haque Dalim are living in Pakistan by using different names and Pakistani nationality since 2009. Abdur Rashid is running construction business both inside Pakistan and a number of African counties. His company owns construction machinery worth few million dollars, which are scattered to various construction sites around the world. Major Dalim is doing manpower business while he holds 15 percent share in a cotton spinning and readymade garment industry in Pakistan.
Colonel Abdur Rashid's grandchildren are doing restaurant business in Dubai, while he also is exporting non-alcoholic perfume to various Western countries. Contacted, former Bangladesh ambassador to Nepal Professor Neem Chandra Bhaumik said foreign ministry has some negligence to bring back Bangabandhu killers. They should be more active and use related countries media where six fugitive killers are staying. In the US, Bangladesh can use congressmen and senators for lobbying to bring back Mujib killers. Foreign ministry should apply all sorts of techniques on this regard.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members of his family on August 15, 1975, by a group of rogue army officers at his Dhanmondi residence in capital Dhaka.His daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana escaped the massacre as they were in Europe at that time. After the gruesome murders, 12 army officers involved had been awarded with jobs in diplomatic missions abroad in 1977 when General Ziaur Rahman, who founded the BNP, captured power through a military coup.
Bangladesh's first military ruler later promulgated the Indemnity Ordinance to save the self-proclaimed killers of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The ordinance was repealed on November 12, 1996, when the Awami League returned to power 21 years later, paving the path to bring the killers to book.
