The Awami League will face trial if investigators file charges after completing their probe, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said today.
Adding that the government had asked for the investigation to be expedited, he said, "Awami League is responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity as an organisation," Salahuddin told reporters at the home ministry.
He said amendments to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act now also allowed organisations (besides individuals) to be tried for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Salahuddin, however, ruled out banning any political party through an executive order. "We want everything to happen judicially and through the legal process. This is the BNP's position, and it has been our principled position from the beginning."
On Sheikh Hasina's possible return, he said the government wanted her extradited from India under the bilateral treaty and had sent reminders after the interim government first sought her extradition. "We want her back, and we want her to face justice."
He said Hasina would be arrested on her return as she had already been convicted by a court, while any opportunity to surrender or appeal would be determined by the courts. The mode of her return would be decided by India, he said.
Local polls, fugitives
Salahuddin said preparations were under way for local government elections, with union parishad polls likely around September or October, subject to the monsoon.
Bangladesh has completed legal formalities to bring back four fugitives arrested abroad, three in India in the Osman Sharif Hadi murder case and one in Abu Dhabi following an Interpol red notice.
The UAE has already received the required documents, while the return of the three fugitives from India may be delayed because of pending cases there, he said.
Asked about reports that Bangladeshis had joined the Arakan Army in Myanmar, he said the government had no information but would look into the matter.
Student protests
Salahuddin alleged that some groups were exploiting student protests to embarrass the government and said some protesters were neither students nor examinees.
Students who missed examinations because of bad weather would be allowed to sit them later, while the education ministry would investigate reported errors in two physics questions and award marks accordingly, he said.
The government would not allow anything that compromised educational standards, he said, blaming automatic passes, inflated marks and indiscriminate GPA-5 awards during the Awami League's tenure for the decline in education.
Narcotics, policing and July deaths
The minister said the government had enacted a tougher anti-narcotics law and would strengthen the Department of Narcotics Control with greater authority, dog squads, laboratories, trained officers and firearms before launching a nationwide anti-drug drive.
He also said legal reforms were being considered to better tackle extortion and gambling.
Salahuddin said police officers guilty of misconduct were being punished while those performing well were being rewarded.
Ties with the US
Referring to his recent visit to the United States for the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit, Salahuddin said Bangladesh would continue expanding its contribution to UN peacekeeping.
Asked about bilateral ties, he said, "Relations with the United States are very good."
