In a rare move, parliament today adopted an opposition-backed motion requiring Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed to brief the House on the process of bringing former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed back from the UAE and the steps taken by the government so far.
The motion, brought by Jamaat MP Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem under section 147(1), was passed through a voice vote after a one-hour-and-45-minute discussion.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad put the motion to a vote after the debate, with the “yes” vote prevailing.
In his notice, Mir Ahmad cited a media report that Benazir had secured bail and left Dubai for Saint Lucia. He sought a detailed account of all steps taken to bring him back, including whether a formal extradition request had been sent within the stipulated 30 days.
During the discussion, opposition members questioned the government’s sincerity and effectiveness in pursuing Benazir’s return, alleging that he had already fled to Saint Lucia.
Mir Ahmad said the victims’ suffering was compounded by the fact that they had heard many promises but seen no results.
“If, immediately after the incident, the home and foreign ministers had rushed to Dubai, they would have believed the government was making a genuine effort,” he said.
“If the prime minister had personally written to the Dubai government, sent his own envoy, or gone himself, they would have believed it. If, all attempts failed, and the concerned minister had come to parliament, accepted responsibility, and resigned, they would have thought they were sincere.”
“But we see no steps to bring the fascist collaborators embedded in this government to justice. Had we seen true sincerity, today’s anger would not have arisen,” Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem said.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher said both sides were in agreement on the issue of Benazir.
“The home minister, in his statement under Rule 300, gave a serious assurance, but in the subsequent steps we have not seen results,” he said.
He proposed forming a special cell dedicated to dealing with the cases of Benazir and other fugitive “fascists”.
Taher also alleged that many “Awami terrorists have re-entered the country”, with Awami League activists holding meetings and rallies even at union level.
“They are regrouping. Yet the police are not active in bringing them under the law. Instructions must be given to take action against these Awami terrorists,” he said.
NCP’s Akhter Hossen questioned whether the reports concerning Benazir were genuine or fabricated and asked what steps were being taken to bring back Sheikh Hasina and other top Awami League “criminals”.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said the notice mentioned that “the notorious terrorist Benazir” had gone to Saint Lucia.
“We have checked with UAE foreign ministry officials, and they confirmed they are not aware of any such departure. This means he remains in the UAE,” he said.
“And not just this one terrorist, wherever such criminals have fled after looting the nation’s wealth and killing its people, we will work to bring back every one of them,” Kobir said.
Treasury bench members said sufficient measures had been taken in accordance with the law and stressed that there was no official information confirming Benazir’s departure from Dubai or his escape to a third country.
Speaking in the House, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government would show “no leniency” in bringing back Benazir and other fugitives abroad.
He said the authorities were working in coordination to establish Benazir’s current whereabouts, advance the extradition process, verify allegations of passport fraud, and identify and seize illegal assets at home and abroad.
The minister also presented statistics on enforced disappearances, killings and torture since 2009, describing Benazir as a “serial killer”.
“Among the instruments of repression and the perpetrators, after Sheikh Hasina, Benazir can be called number one,” he said.
Detailing the government’s initiatives to bring Benazir back, Salahuddin urged the opposition to cooperate rather than blame the government.
He said an Interpol Red Notice had been issued against Benazir based on a court arrest warrant and remained active.
On June 12, 2026, the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abu Dhabi informed Bangladesh that Benazir had been arrested in the UAE.
Under UAE law, an extradition request must be submitted within 30 days. Bangladesh, however, sent its formal request through diplomatic channels within four days, the minister said.
He explained that Bangladesh and the UAE have no bilateral extradition treaty and that the process was therefore proceeding under the UAE’s domestic laws and the principles of mutual cooperation.
Following media reports that Benazir had secured bail, Bangladesh on August 31 formally sought updated information about his whereabouts through Interpol’s secure communication system.
There has been no official confirmation that Benazir left the UAE for Saint Lucia, the minister said.
He also stressed the importance of following due judicial process.
“We cannot simply seize someone and execute them. No matter how serious the crime, it must go through judicial proceedings and be implemented according to the court’s verdict. Judicial process is lengthy, just as the arm of the law is long. We must be patient,” he said.
