Govt engaged to bring back Bangabandhu’s killers

The government is engaged with the United States and Canada to bring back several killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Shahriar Alam at his office without naming any killers told the journalists on Sunday that killers are residing in the US and Canada but the government was not sure about the whereabouts of two or three killers. Shahriar, after a meeting with US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat on August 13 last year, said that the envoy told him that Rashed Chowdhury, one of the absconding killers of Bangabandhu, got political asylum in the US. The absconding killers are Khandkar Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Noor Chowdhury, Moslehuddin Khan, Abdul Mazed and M Rashed Chowdhury. Of them, Noor Chowdhury is in Canada and many believe that Moslehuddin Khan is hiding in the US. The state minister without naming any name said one of the killers was refused political asylum in one country but due to complexity over death penalty, it was a big challenge to bring him back. Noor Chowdhury was denied political asylum in Canada but the country refused to send him back due to complexity over death penalty. Meanwhile, after a meeting with Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque on Sunday the US ambassador said: “That is really a complex issue for our Department of Justice. I don't really know if everyone can confirmed that these two individuals’ [Rashed Chowdhury and Moslehuddin Khan] presence in the US. But that is part of our ongoing discussion and again up to the Department of Justice. We hope to close the chapter certainly.” The then president of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed with his family members in Dhaka on August 15. Twelve were found guilty of this murder case and five of them were hanged until death. One killer, Aziz Pasha, had a natural death in Zimbabwe.