"Tarique Rahman will definitely ask for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina," says Bangladeshi Journalist Selaam Samad

Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 30 : Bangladeshi Journalist Selaam Samad said that the deceased Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, might ask for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina.

Samad, while talking to ANI, said that Rahman will probably win the February elections, and will have the trump card of extradition.

"If you talk about it in the future, it will be very difficult because Tarique Rahman may ask India, that the relationship would be at a heightened relationship. But he will definitely ask for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina. That will be Tarique Rahman's, one of the trump cards after he became the prime minister," he said.

Samad said that during Zia's tenure, the relations between both countries did not flip.

"So the India-Bangladesh relationship never flipped up during her tenure. But I don't know what will happen to Tarique Rahman's tenure. I don't want to speak the relationship he had with the regime in India right now. So he will possibly be the prime minister in the month of February," he said.

Samad said that during the tenure of military rules in Bangladesh, India did not have a problem.

"So coming back to the relationship, India Bangladesh despite all odds Bangladesh has three military rules. Bangladesh never had any problem with India or India never had problem with those military rulers. I mean, it is very strange, but you have to agree that there was no budget cuts, no business treaties were canceled or anything has not been, nothing has changed," he said.

Samad talked about how Zia was a housewife before her rise as the Prime Minister.

"I definitely would go back to that she was a housewife. And then she jumped into politics after the death of her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who had a military rule. Well, in 1991, there was a clear mandate. It was for the first time in Bangladesh and possibly the only election in Bangladesh which had a free and fair and credible election in 1991. Since then or before we never had a free fair whatever you say. Coming back to Khaleda Zia, she was initially for the first few years was doing very good. When she came back to power for the second time, she became ruthless," he said.

Samad recounted how during her period, he was imprisoned, and called her second tenure as 'ruthless'.

"I was in prison during her period. So I will not, I will not divulge myself to be anti or pro, but I'm looking at it very independently because I am not a patriot and I'm not a nationalist. So she was not doing well during the last 10 years, till 1996. She was, she was, she arrested, closed or has harassed hundreds of journalists, academicians, writers, poets, you just name a profession. Even doctors were also in prison during her period. So it was a very, and there was of course, there was a lot of opposition from the homily and especially the intellectual or the civil society, but it didn't matter to her," he said.

"The reason was that her son, Tarique Rahman, had power beyond power. He had power over the defence ministry outside the PM's office... She did not bother to ask or amend his activities, which ran directly counter to the armed forces... He (Tarique Rahman) had his candidates for certain positions. Every time I asked for my rights in prison, I was told that Tarique Rahman doesn't want you to get any facilities... Khaleda Zia ruled the country with an iron hand," he added.

Begum Khaleda Zia died in the early morning today at the age of 80, while she was undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.

According to a BNP statement on Facebook, Zia died at around 6 am (local time), shortly after the Fajr prayer.

"Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00 am, just after Fajr prayer," the BNP statement read.

"We pray for the eternal peace of her soul and ask everyone to pray for her departed soul," it added.

Zia was admitted to the capital Dhaka's Evercare Hospital on November 23 with a lung infection. The former Prime Minister has been suffering from various physical ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications, for a long time, and earlier this month, she was sent to London for advanced medical treatment for her ailments.

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