Former PM has to land in jail upon return: Shama Obaed

Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's repeated remarks about returning to Bangladesh appear to be intended to encourage and energize Awami League leaders and activists who are currently in hiding or living abroad, says State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam.
Speaking to a group of journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said she saw no other reason behind Hasina's public statements about her comeback to the country.
"Sheikh Hasina is a convicted offender. If she surrenders, legal action will be taken against her in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh. She will have to go to prison, and the law will take its own course," says the state minister about a press buzz over return of the ex-ruler in exile.
"If an accused person chooses not to surrender and instead continues making statements from abroad, I believe those remarks are intended to awaken and motivate Awami League leaders and activists who have fled or are in hiding. I do not see any other reason."
Shama Obaed mentions that the government has already initiated the necessary diplomatic process regarding Hasina's case.
"The government has already begun the required process. Whatever diplomatic mechanisms exist between Bangladesh and any other country are being pursued. If any accused person surrenders, the existing laws of Bangladesh will be applied accordingly."
Responding to a question ad to where Hasina could surrender, the state minister says it is entirely her own decision.
"Is she an Indian citizen? What she does with the police there is her own matter, not ours. Where an accused person chooses to surrender is entirely up to that individual and not a matter for the government," she quips.
"Whether she surrenders at a Bangladesh mission abroad or returns to Bangladesh to surrender, the process will be the same. She will have to go to prison and face the sentence that has already been pronounced on her," Shama Obaed adds.
Replying to another question, she makes it clear that the government would not take into account statements made by a convicted individual.
"It is not the responsibility of the Government of Bangladesh to consider what a convicted person says, nor will it do so. She has already been convicted under the laws of Bangladesh. The government's legal and diplomatic process has been ongoing, and there is no need to initiate any new procedure."
Asked whether the current government would formally raise objections with India over Hasina's public statements from Indian territory-as was done during the tenure of the interim government-the state minister says such matters are being discussed through existing diplomatic channels.
"Not everything needs to be conveyed through public statements. We discuss such issues during our ongoing engagements and exchanges with India. Whether an accused person staying abroad chooses to surrender or not, the legal process and the judgment remain the same. The government's existing process is continuing," she adds.

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