DHAKA, February 25: Bangladesh has launched massive efforts to bring back all the absconding accused charged over a 1975 coup in which country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed, officials said today. Out of the 19 accused, 14 including several former army officials were absconding and were being tried in absentia.Trial of the alleged plotters of brutal assassination of Sheikh Mujib in a military coup on August 15, 1975 began formally at the court of the district and sessions judge, Dhaka on April last with indictment against 20 including several former army officials for Mujib's killing.
However, Zubaida Rashid, wife of absconding accused Lt Col (Retd) Khandakar Abdur Rashid has been relieved of the charges following a court order.Giving details on the efforts to bring back all absconding accused, a foreign ministry official told official BSS news agency that an American attorney has been engaged to pursue the extradition case of Lt Col (Retd) Mohiuddin Ahmed, an alleged coupplotter.
Mohiuddin, who served as a diplomat during the successive governments of Ziaur Rahman, HM Ershad and Begum Khaleda Zia, is now in police custody in the United States, BSS said quoting the official.
About the case of the absconding former military official Lt Col Abdul Aziz Pasha, who has been given asylum in Zimbabwe, the official said Bangladesh had lodged strong protest with authorities there.
About two other absconding former army officials, Capt (Retd) Kismat Hashem and Capt (Retd) Nazmul Hossain Ansar, the official said, ``We are in touch with Canadian authorities and the matter is being looked into,'' adding that if found that the accused got Canadian citizenship by suppressing facts, it is most likely that their citizenship will be annulled.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
