No serious efforts to bring back fugitive killers

The six fugitive killers of Bangabandhu could not be brought back home in the last four and a half years for the lack of persistent efforts on the part of the government.
The government's efforts to have the death convicts extradited to Bangladesh began in 2010. But since early last year, no serious move was made to convince different countries to hand them over to Bangladesh, said highly placed sources.
Officials now say their extradition to Bangladesh is impossible within the tenure of the present government.
The government so far could ascertain the whereabouts of only two convicts: Maj (retd) Noor Chowdhury in Canada and Maj (retd) Rashed Chowdhury in the USA.
The four others -- Col (dismissed) Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col (relieved) Shariful Haque Dalim, Capt Abdul Mazed and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan -- still remain untraced. The Interpol had issued arrest warrants against them, who reportedly have been changing locations.
The government thought that both Mazed and Muslehuddin had been hiding in India, but the Indian government could not trace them. Rashid was reportedly operating a construction business in Libya and Dalim had been living in Pakistan.
The taskforce, comprised of law, home and foreign ministries, has failed to hold any meeting in the last nine months. It was formed to bring Maj (retd) Noor and Maj (retd) Rashed back home through due legal process.
Canada has declined to deport Noor as its policy does not approve sending a person back home to face death sentence.
The US has not yet agreed to extradite Rashed to Bangladesh as a case filed in connection with his residency status was pending with a court there.
Previously, the government had sent letters to every country, to some repeatedly, seeking their help in tracing and sending the fugitive convicts back home.
Talking to The Daily Star, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said the government was trying its best to bring back the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu through diplomatic channel.
Though Shafique heads the taskforce, he held the home and foreign ministries responsible. “I have no information about the latest developments…. They [home and foreign ministries] know about the progress of government efforts to bring back the killers,” he noted.
Explaining why the taskforce could not sit since November 21 last year, he said the meeting could not be held due to frequent foreign trips by Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.
“As the foreign minister is an important member of the taskforce, it was not possible to hold the meeting in her absence,” he mentioned.
Apart from the six, another death convict Lt Col Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe on June 2, 2001.
The High Court on April 30, 2001, had confirmed capital punishment against 12 people and acquitted three others in the Bangabandhu murder case.