No bar to Tarique Rahman returning to Bangladesh: Home adviser
'He is a citizen of this country and can come back whenever he wishes'
Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said there is no obstacle to BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman returning to Bangladesh.
"He is a citizen of this country and can come back whenever he wishes," the adviser told journalists today (12 June) following a visit to the Salna Highway Police Station in Gazipur.
Tarique has been living in London since February 2008.
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Upon arriving at the police station around 11am, the adviser distributed face masks to journalists before proceeding with the inspection. Following the visit, he spoke to reporters, urging them not to publish partial or misleading reports.
"Please don't publish distorted versions of what we say. Present the complete statements. Misrepresented reports are used by neighbouring countries to spread false narratives," he cautioned.
In response, the journalists present promised not to publish incomplete statements.
Also present during the visit were Additional Inspector General of Highway Police Shafiqul Islam, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dr Nazmul Karim Khan, Additional Police Commissioner Taherul Haque Chauhan, Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Nafisa Arefin, Gazipur District Police Superintendent Dr Chowdhury Md Zaber Sadeq, along with other senior officials.
Reiterating his public health message, the adviser encouraged everyone to wear masks, including the ones he provided to the journalists. "Don't keep the masks in your pocket—put them on your face," he quipped.
When asked about reports of Indian nationals being pushed into Bangladesh, Jahangir Alam said they have already written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The foreign adviser has already spoken to media.
He said, "If any Bangladeshi citizens are in India, we will bring them back—through proper legal channels. But the way Indian authorities are pushing their people through forests and roads is inhumane and a violation of human rights," he said.
He added that all individuals who are pushed in are being tested for Covid-19 in line with public health guidelines due to the potential risk of virus transmission.
Later in the day, the adviser visited the headquarters of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) 63rd Battalion in Rajendrapur, Gazipur, where he reviewed ongoing activities and planted a tree sapling. He was also scheduled to visit an agricultural project in Sreepur Upazila under the Department of Agricultural Extension.
