Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls has said she will convey to her government Bangladesh’s request to deport Nur Chowdhury, the self-confessed and convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“The issue was raised (by Bangladesh) and we understand it’s an important issue for Bangladesh. I’ll convey this to my capital,” she told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday afternoon after her meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen held at the latter’s office.
Bangladesh, being a time-tested partner of Canada, reiterated its long-standing request for the deportation of Bangabandhu’s killer, Momen said.
While talking to reporters in the evening, Momen said he the envoy that Canada should not be a refuge for the murderers and urged the Canadian government to deport the killer.
“This killer has been living in Canada as a fugitive for close to thirty years. Canada being known as the proponent for promotion and protection of human rights, and rule of law, the two countries can work together to agree on some modalities for the deportation of this heinous killer and flagrant violator of human rights,” said Momen in a recent message.
Bangladesh and Canada are marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Bangladesh and Canada established diplomatic relations on February 14, 1972.
During the meeting with Momen, the high commissioner spoke about the Canada-Bangladesh relationship.
“We spoke a lot about the values that Canada and Bangladesh have in common. Bangladesh changed so much and it’s now becoming a middle income country. That means a lot. It’s a long relationship. It’s a deep relationship. We hope to keep growing by diversifying the relations,” she said.
The Canadian envoy noted that Canada and Bangladesh both share common values of democracy, justice, and inclusion, and are active global contributors.
In addition to continuing its strong development partnership with Bangladesh, Canadian investments in health, education, and inclusive growth are helping build the foundation for future prosperity in Bangladesh, she said.
“Trade between the two countries exceeds CAD$2 billion annually, and there is great potential to diversify and grow our business and people-to-people links,” said the envoy.
She said Canada will work in partnership with the people and government of Bangladesh to secure prosperity for both the nations, as Bangladesh moves towards middle-income status.
Source: United News of Bangladesh