Shafik Rehman barred at Dhaka airport
Despite having all valid documents for a trip abroad, immigration police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday prevented eminent journalist Shafik Rehman from going to London to see his ailing wife.
However, police gave him permission to go abroad hours later.
He was scheduled to fly on a Turkish Airlines flight at 7:00am yesterday to attend to his wife Taleya Rehman receiving treatment at University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London.
“But the police sent me back after completing my immigration procedure,” Rehman told The Daily Star yesterday evening.
The High Court on February 8, according to Rehman, cleared him for going abroad while Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on February 16, directed detectives to return his passport.
Rehman got his passport back on Sunday.
Rehman blamed lack of knowledge and coordination among the immigration police for the harassment.
Police said they acted on directives from high-ups.
“This is bad. Police should know how to go about it,” Rehman said.
“We did not allow him in the morning upon directive from high-ups,” said an immigration officer preferring anonymity.
Rehman said an immigration police called him hours later and said “you are free to go. You may take the next flight”.
Shafik Rehman is now on bail in a case filed for his alleged attempt to abduct and murder prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
He walked out of Kashimpur jail in Gazipur on bail on September 6 last year, five months after his arrest.
“After completing all immigration procedure around 5:00am, I was waiting for my flight. I have by this time told my wife that I was going to meet her.”
Suddenly, an immigration police official asked for the passport and court's clearance of going abroad. He walked away taking the documents.
As time was running out for boarding the flight and the official did not return, Rehman himself went back to immigration to look for the official.
He eventually returned home.
The flight was delayed for around 30 minutes so that his luggage could be unloaded, he said.
Replying to a query, Rehman said, “I am not fine as I could not see my wife who is scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday.”
The journalist, who faced similar barriers at least five times before, said he would attempt to get on a flight today.
“I do not know what will happen tomorrow [today],” he added.
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