State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday said the government is working to bring back former High Commissioner to Malaysia M Khairuzzaman as soon as possible, noting that he is now in Malaysian deportation centre following his arrest in Malaysia.
Earlier, the Malaysian government confirmed the arrest of Khairuzzaman due to a “offence” he “committed.”
Khairuzzaman, a retired army major, was accused of participating in the 1975 Jail Killing case and was later acquitted before being appointed as Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Malaysia in 2007 during the caretaker government.
Responding to questions from a small group of journalists, State Minister Alam said there is a scope to interrogate him again in person and look into the case against him again.
He, however, said the Law Ministry is in a better position to talk about the legal aspects. “I don’t want to jump into a conclusion.”
Referring to communication with the Malaysian Home Ministry through Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, the State Minister said Khairuzzaman was arrested due to violation of the Malaysian laws related to immigration.
Asked whether Khairuzzaman holds a UN refugee card, Alam said, “I’m not aware whether he holds any refugee card.”
Malaysian Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin on Thursday said he was aware of the arrest.
“The arrest was made according to procedures,” The Star quoted him as saying on Thursday.
After the Awami League-led government came to power in 2009, he was recalled to Dhaka.
But Khairuzzaman did not return and obtained the UN Refugee Card in Kuala Lumpur and continued to stay there, according to The Star.
On the grounds of the arrest, the minister said it was due to “a offence committed and a request by his home country,” he said
According to reports, Malaysian authorities arrested the former high commissioner, who is said to have been living here for more than a decade.
Source: United News of Bangladesh