BNP leader Salahuddin receives travel pass from Bangladesh govt

BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed is set to return to Bangladesh as he received a travel pass from the government. Salahuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said he received the travel pass late on Monday.

The standing committee member of the opposition will travel to Bangladesh after completing his medical treatments in India, where he is currently residing.

The BNP leader said that there is no obstacle to returning to the country after getting the travel pass. But the Indian government has some rules. He has to complete some formal procedures including court papers.

Salahuddin Ahmed mentioned that his physical condition is “not very good”.

He is set to receive treatment in India as he has not received any advanced treatment for a long time.

On June 8, a foreign ministry spokesperson said that Salahuddin Ahmed can return home anytime he wants as the government has approved his travel back to Bangladesh.

He said the home ministry has approved Salahuddin's application for returning home and the foreign ministry has communicated this development to the Bangladesh mission in Guwahati.

Salahuddin Ahmed's case has been a subject of interest as he went missing for approximately two months before being found in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state in northeastern India, on May 11, 2015. The Indian authorities subsequently arrested him on charges of trespassing.

However, BNP claimed that Salahuddin was picked up from a house in Uttara, Dhaka, on March 10, 2015, allegedly by unidentified individuals posing as detectives.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle Bangla, the BNP leader recounted being handcuffed, blindfolded, and forcefully taken from a friend's house in Dhaka. He remained in secret detention for 61 days before discovering that he was in India.

After a legal process that spanned several years, an Indian lower court acquitted Salahuddin of the charges on October 26, 2018.

The Indian government's appeal against the verdict was unsuccessful.

On February 28, 2023, the Shillong Judge Court in Meghalaya upheld the lower court's verdict of acquittal, bringing an end to the long-standing legal battle over trespassing allegations against the BNP leader.

As per the operative part of the Shillong Court's order, the police superintendent (infiltration) has been instructed to coordinate with the relevant authorities for the deportation of the "acquitted person" to Bangladesh.

Following his acquittal, on March 24, the Meghalaya government wrote to India's Ministry of External Affairs, urging the expeditious deportation of this "high-profile" Bangladeshi national.

On May 8, Salahuddin applied to the Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner in Guwahati for travel documents, including all relevant case documents.

Read More