Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today said there would be no scope for ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to surrender, as she would be arrested immediately upon return and the court verdict against her would be executed in accordance with the law.
Speaking as chief guest at a discussion titled “The Day that Changed the Course of the Mass Uprising” at the TSC Auditorium of Dhaka University, organised by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Salahuddin said, “We have always wanted her return through legal means. During the interim government’s tenure, a letter was sent to the Indian government under the extradition treaty, and we have also sent reminders. We want her brought back to Bangladesh so that the verdict against her can be executed.”
He said efforts were underway to bring back former ministers, MPs and officials who had supported the previous Awami League government and were now abroad.
Interpol arrest warrants had been issued against those sheltering in different countries, he added, noting that former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed had already been arrested under the process.
“Those involved in genocide and those who — like the Pakistani occupation forces — attacked freedom-loving people of Bangladesh also have the right to due process, and we will bring them to justice,” said the home minister.
“We want the political fate of the Awami League to be determined through a fully lawful and judicial process,” he said, adding that amendments to the International Crimes Tribunal Act and Anti-Terrorism Act now allowed Hasina to be tried as an individual and the Awami League as a party.
Referring to Article 47 of the constitution, he said organisations accused of genocide and crimes against humanity could face prosecution, drawing a comparison with the Nuremberg Trials.
Salahuddin alleged that the Awami League had shown no remorse over killings and was instead seeking to return to politics by branding July uprising fighters as “militants”.
He said protecting the democratic aspirations achieved through the July-August 2024 uprising required national unity.
Recalling the early days of the uprising, Salahuddin said that when students at Dhaka University chanted slogans on July 15, 2024, he was in exile but remained fully focused on and supportive of the movement.
“Achieving freedom is easier than protecting it. We want democratic reform of the state structure so that no authoritarian force can ever again trample democracy,” he said.
He noted that the BNP’s 31-point state reform proposal had been reflected in its election manifesto, while parties opposing fascism had signed the National July Charter.
The government was committed to amending the constitution and laws in line with the charter, he added.
Salahuddin urged parties not to use the spirit of July for partisan interests. “The credit for the July uprising belongs to no single party or group. Ordinary people fought fascism by putting their lives on the line, and the credit belongs to them,” he said.
He mentioned that Ganabhaban was being turned into the “July Memorial Museum” so future governments could learn about the consequences of authoritarian rule. Paying tribute to Abu Sayed, Wasim Akram, Mugdha and others killed during the uprising, he said it was a chapter written in blood.
Salahuddin said Dhaka University had historically led democratic movements, from the Language Movement of 1952 to the struggle for independence and later rights movements. “The students of Dhaka University have always been a driving force in Bangladesh’s democratic struggles,” he said, calling on the younger generation to build a safe, democratic and prosperous Bangladesh free from authoritarianism.
The programme was chaired by JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib, with BNP Joint Secretary General Habib Un Nabi Khan Sohel as special guest. Nahiduzzaman Shipon, general secretary of JCD’s Dhaka University unit, delivered the welcome address, while JCD General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir moderated. A special prayer was offered for those killed during the July uprising.
