‘I’ll provide you with a ticket if necessary’: state minister urges Hasina to return

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury has challenged former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to return from exile and face trial, saying the government would provide her with an air ticket if necessary.

“Do not come secretly. Come back now. If necessary, we will provide you with a ticket,” Chowdhury said on Saturday at a rally organised by the BNP in Nandail, Mymensingh, marking National Revolution and Solidarity Day.

Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Chowdhury accused Hasina and her associates of killing people before fleeing the country and said their threats on social media would not intimidate Bangladeshis.

“The people of Bangladesh have already understood your threats,” he said.

He said those responsible for depriving people of voting rights, corruption, looting, enforced disappearances and killings over the past several years would face justice in Bangladesh. He also referred to the deaths of women and children during the July mass uprising.

Those who had fled the country would be brought back in handcuffs and put on trial, he warned.

Chowdhury also called on party activists to resist any attempts to destabilise the country, saying Bangladesh was moving towards development under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's leadership.

He urged local party members to report suspicious individuals to law enforcement agencies.

Turning to local development, the state minister said 186 roads in Nandail had already been paved with brick soling, while allocations had been made for work on another 104 roads.

He said Tk 115 million had been secured for road repairs, claiming that no other upazila in Mymensingh had received a similar allocation.

The government had also provided 36 houses for homeless families and planned to build another 104 this year, he said. In addition, projects were under consideration for bridges at Jahangirpur and Char Betagair, while approval was being processed for buildings at 23 educational institutions.

In the upcoming Union Parishad elections, Chowdhury said the BNP would nominate candidates based on public opinion and survey findings. He urged voters to choose candidates committed to development and democracy.

The rally was held at Chandipasha School ground in Nandail and attended by BNP leaders, activists and local residents from different unions and wards.