Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Wednesday said they have no plan right now to shift BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia elsewhere from the old Dhaka central jail of Nazimuddin Road.
He came up with the remark replying to a query from reporters after attending a programme marking the 23rd raising day of Bangladesh Coast Guard at its Agargaon headquarters in the city.
Brushing aside BNP’s allegation of an unhygienic environment in the old prison, the minister said Khaleda Zia has been kept at a place which is former Dhaka Central Jail. “There’s no unhealthy environment. She has been kept in the daycare centre of a new building inside the prison. The atmosphere is not unsafe, unhealthy or risky either.” He also said the BNP chief has been given all the facilities as per the jail code.
About the repatriation of Rohingyas, Asaduzzaman said a 12-member Myanmar delegation, led by its Home Minister, will come to Dhaka on Thursday at his invitation to discuss the issue. “The Rohingya repatriation will be the main issue during the discussion with the Myanmar delegation,” he said.
The home minister also said there is an international pressure on Myanmar to take its nationals back.
He also mentioned the visit of a Bangladesh delegation, led by himself, to Myanmar when a 10-point declaration was signed about the repatriation of the Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar’s Rakhine State amid persecution by the military.
Lauding Bangladesh Coast Guard for its various activities, the home minister said the force is going ahead maintaining honesty, accountability and efficiency. “Coast Guard has been able to gain people’s confidence with a little manpower. In the future, they can take themselves to a higher place,” he added.
