Extra-judicial killings: Quader echoes voice with HC

Echoing voice with the High Court, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said that the government does not like the extrajudicial killing.

“The home ministry has made the incident of Nayan Bond’s killing clear describing it as encounter. Encounter and crossfire are not similar subjects. We don’t like extrajudicial killings,” Quader told a questioner while addressing a press conference at the party President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office in Dhaka this noon.

The HC in its observation yesterday said that the law enforcers must be more careful so that extrajudicial killings do not take place.

“Everyone must be given the legal protection provided by the law,” it said.

“If law enforcers come under attacks during a raid and if they fire in self-defence, there may be some incidents. But we don’t like extrajudicial murders,” the court said.

When asked about the hike in gas price, he said, “There are some logical reasons for hiking the gas price. However, it is the government’s matter whether it will be reconsidered.”

Expressing his personal opinion in this regard, Quader, also the minister for Road Transport and Bridges, said there is no scope to reconsider it as the government is providing a lot of subsidies in this sector.

Otherwise, the government will have to count more subsidies, Quader said, calling upon all to accept the hiked gas price.

Responding to another query over the PM’s China visit, Quader said, “We will knock at the door of those who will come forward with investment for the development of our country.”

When asked about the focal point of premier’s China visit, Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping are putting importance to the Rohingya issue.

“Mounting pressure on Myanmar over the Rohingya issue is very important and they (China) have given us their assurance of putting pressure on Myanmar to repatriate its nationals with due dignity,” the minister said.

Referring to the BNP’s reaction to a Pabna court’s recent verdict that sentenced nine BNP men to death and 25 others to life term imprisonment after 25 years of the attack on a train carrying the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, Quader said, “BNP terms courts’ verdicts as fabricated whenever it goes against the party. It is not a new thing. They speak according to their tradition and always try to shift burden to the government.”

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said, “The verdict proves that there is no independence in the judiciary.”

Responding to a query on how long BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia would stay at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Quader said, “It is the matter of the court whether she (Khaleda) will be staying in the hospital or in the jail.”

“She did not seek release from jail on parole.  If she would have done it then we could talk over the issue,” he said.

“After all, she needs to stay healthy first. She will stay at the hospital until her complete recovery,” the Awami League leader added.