Tarique visit to KSA raises eyebrows

The travel of BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman to Saudi Arabia has created confusion in the minds of Bangladesh officials because he does not hold a machine readable passport without which such travel is difficult. It was not possible to confirm from official sources or any BNP leader as to how Tarique travelled from London to Saudi Arabia as a royal guest. The minister for home affairs, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, told The Independent on Thursday night that no machine readable passport (MRP) has been issued in favour of Tarique. A Bangladesh citizen cannot travel abroad without an MRP, the minister said. Kamal, however, said he had heard about Tarique seeking political asylum in the UK.
Knowledgeable sources said a person granted political asylum by the UK may get travel documents using which he can visit all nations, except his home country.
When contacted, a senior foreign ministry official said they are not sure about the mode of travel of Tarique, who was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and fined Tk. 20 crore by the High Court on July 22 in a money-laundering case. Tarique met his mother and BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, who is now on a visit to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.
A BNP standing committee member, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, said he does not know the travel status of Tarique. The BNP chairperson’s adviser, Sabihuddin Ahmed, too expressed his ignorance on how the BNP senior vice-chairman has gone to Saudi Arabia.
Tarique went to Saudi Arabia on Thursday morning and met his mother after a year. Khaleda went to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on a 22-day tour at the invitation of the Saudi king. Tarique, along with his wife and daughter, went to London in 2008 for medical treatment following the 1/11 changeover.

Tarique visit to KSA raises eyebrows

The travel of BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman to Saudi Arabia has created confusion in the minds of Bangladesh officials because he does not hold a machine readable passport without which such travel is difficult. It was not possible to confirm from official sources or any BNP leader as to how Tarique travelled from London to Saudi Arabia as a royal guest. The minister for home affairs, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, told The Independent on Thursday night that no machine readable passport (MRP) has been issued in favour of Tarique. A Bangladesh citizen cannot travel abroad without an MRP, the minister said. Kamal, however, said he had heard about Tarique seeking political asylum in the UK. Knowledgeable sources said a person granted political asylum by the UK may get travel documents using which he can visit all nations, except his home country. When contacted, a senior foreign ministry official said they are not sure about the mode of travel of Tarique, who was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and fined Tk. 20 crore by the High Court on July 22 in a money-laundering case. Tarique met his mother and BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, who is now on a visit to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. A BNP standing committee member, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, said he does not know the travel status of Tarique. The BNP chairpersons adviser, Sabihuddin Ahmed, too expressed his ignorance on how the BNP senior vice-chairman has gone to Saudi Arabia. Tarique went to Saudi Arabia on Thursday morning and met his mother after a year. Khaleda went to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on a 22-day tour at the invitation of the Saudi king. Tarique, along with his wife and daughter, went to London in 2008 for medical treatment following the 1/11 changeover.