Sagar Biswas :
In a major development, the Canadian government has scrapped the immigration contract of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s self-confessed killer Colonel [retd] SHMB Noor Chowdhury, officials confirmed on Thursday.
Earlier on Monday, the Federal Court of Canada in a judgment ordered the authorities concerned to expel him [Noor Chowdhury] after rejecting his prayer for political asylum. He has been staying in Canada illegally, the court said, so the government can take step to expel him [from Canada] anytime.
“The Canadian government didn’t renew the contract for immigration to Bangabandhu’s killer Noor Chowdhury … It’s a good news. The government is now working to bring back the killer to Bangladesh,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said on Thursday after attending an urgent meeting at Secretariat. Echoing the same, a senior official of Law Ministry said: “The Bangladesh Government is taking preparations to bring back the absconding killer [Noor Chowdhury] through consultation with Canadian Government. Noor Chowdhury has been defeated in the legal battle. Now it is time to bring him back.”
It is to be noted that Canada is against death penalty. And as per its law, the Canadian Government does not take any step to send a person, who has applied for political asylum mentioning his life threat, even if he/she is awarded death penalty for any crime in his own country.
Despite the above law, the Bangladesh Government has long been trying to get back the killer from Canada. In line with its policy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 17 talked with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to find a way to the thorny issue of extraditing fugitive Noor Chowdhury, diplomatic sources said.
Expressing his optimism, former Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed recently said: “We’ve waited a long time for this legal battle. Now, Noor Chowdhury has been defeated. So far as I think, he will be brought back through discussion with Canadian Government.”
“The initiative to bring back Noor Chowdhury was taken earlier and his passport was confiscated. But we could not proceed further as he went to Canadian court to settle the issue. After a defeat in legal battle, the Canadian Government now can take step to send him to Bangladesh. In this situation, the Foreign Ministry will have to play a vital role,” he said.
After the meeting between Hasina and Trudeau, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said that officials concerned of the two countries would sit in a meeting soon to chalk out a way about the extradition of Noor Chowdhury. “The motto of the meeting will be the execution of Bangabandhu murder case verdict,” the Foreign Secretary said.
President of Supreme Court Bar Association Yusuf Hossain said the talks between Sheikh Hasina and Justin Trudeau was fruitful. “The Canadian Government may send the self-confessed killer responding to the appeal of Bangladesh Government,” the SCBA chief said.
On August 15, 1975, a group of junior derailed officers of army attacked Presidential House at Raod-32 in the city’s Dhanmondi area and killed Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most members of his family, including eight-year-old son Russell. In the operation, Bazlul Huda and Noor Chowdhury directly sprayed bullets on Bangabandhu from close-range taking position on the staircase of first floor.
Ordering to expel Noor Chowdhury from Canada, Justice James Russell of Canadian Federal Court in the verdict said: “His easy movement beyond the army check post at the moment of Bangabandhu killing on August 15 night appears to be suspicious… The possibility of Noor Chowdhury’s involvement in the conspiracy for the planned and organized attack that took place on that night is beyond any doubt.”
The court further said: “The hearings and trial of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s murder case were held [in Bangladesh] in a transparent way. Although the accused was not present physically during the trial, the appointed lawyers had got sufficient space to fight a legal battle in favour of him [Noor Chowdhury]. So, Noor’s claim about depriving of justice in his own country [Bangladesh] doesn’t seem true.”
According to information available from Foreign Ministry, the killer Noor Chowdhury fled away from Bangladesh along with his family soon after Awami League came to power in 1996, and applied for political asylum to Canadian lower court introducing himself a “terminated army officer and non-political person”.
In his application Noor had also expressed support to Ziaur Rahman’s government condemning the Bangabandhu’s tenure. But Canadian lower court outright rejected his appeal. Later, he had lodged appeal with the Federal Court of Canada, and also rejected by it finally.
Meanwhile, the taskforce committee, formed on 28 March, 2010 to bring back the six fugitive killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has located the whereabouts of another killer Abu Mohammad Rashed Chowdhury in the USA.
But the government is still in the dark about the whereabouts of four other killers — Khandakar Abdur Rashid, Shariful Hoque Dalim, Abdul Mazed and Muslehuddin Khan. Unconfirmed sources said Rishaldar Muslehuddin was seen in Germany though he was earlier reportedly staying in India.
Another one Abdul Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe a few years ago. Besides, Abdul Mazed is now in Senegal, Khandakar Abdur Rashid in Libya [sometimes in Pakistan], Shariful Hoque Dalim in Libya [sometimes in Pakistan or Zimbabwe], according to officials.
