‘We want her here,’ Zahed says on Hasina’s return

The government wants to bring former prime minister Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh from India through diplomatic discussions with New Delhi, said Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, the Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser.

He said the government's position remained the same whether Sheikh Hasina returned voluntarily or was brought back through official procedures. The government would follow the necessary processes in either case.

He made the remarks in response to questions from journalists at a regular press briefing on Tuesday. Principal Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed was also present.

A journalist asked whether the government would lift restrictions on Sheikh Hasina's passport and allow her to return to Bangladesh.

In response, Zahed Ur Rahman said the government did not want to prevent Hasina from returning. Rather, it wanted her to come back to the country.

"Whether she comes back on her own or we bring her back, we want her here. I am saying that the restrictions on her passport should now be lifted. She is eligible to return. Whether she decides to come back or we have to initiate a process to bring her back, that is not a question of her passport," he said.

The adviser said Sheikh Hasina was currently staying in India and that the government wanted to take initiatives through discussions with New Delhi to bring her back.

Asked whether the government would issue a travel pass if Sheikh Hasina applied for one, he said she remained a Bangladeshi citizen, although she had been sentenced to death.

He added that the government would consider its course of action if she expressed a desire to return.

"What the government would do if she wants to return is something we will have to assess at the appropriate time. Whether she comes back on her own or we bring her back, our objective is the same. If the circumstances call for it, the government can take whatever steps are necessary," Zahed Ur Rahman said.

However, the adviser declined to say in advance what decision the government would take if Hasina applied for a travel pass.

He said the government did not make detailed plans for every possible situation before it arose. Any decision would depend on the circumstances prevailing at the time of her application.

At the briefing, journalists also asked whether allegations against Sheikh Hasina over violence and sabotage amounted to a repetition of the political practice under the previous Awami League government of blaming its opponents.

In response, Zahed Ur Rahman said the issue should not be viewed in that way. There should be a distinction between the conduct of an authoritarian government and that of a democratic government.

He warned that the government would have to face the consequences if it presented the public with baseless or false information.

"That is why I am saying that we are making these statements because they have a basis. This is not about simply blaming the opposition, as Hasina used to do," he said.