The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought a detailed report on the government's initiatives to bring back ousted fascist Sheikh Hasina from India.
The ministry informed the committee that India is being repeatedly urged to return Hasina under the extradition treaty. A recommendation was made to apprise the committee of the ministry's initiatives and progress on this matter.
The discussions took place at a meeting of the committee held at the Jatiya Sangsad this afternoon. Following the meeting, committee chairman Jahrat Adib Chowdhury confirmed the matter to reporters.
The meeting was attended by committee members -- Shama Obaed, state minister for foreign affairs-2; Amanullah Aman, SK Azizul Bari, ABM Mosharraf Hossain and Sanjida Islam.
Humaiun Kobir, state minister for foreign affairs-1, also attended the meeting upon a special invitation from the committee.
A press release issued by the parliament secretariat said the government's position on bringing Hasina back to the country was highlighted at the meeting. It was mentioned that the Bangladesh government continues to pursue necessary diplomatic and legal initiatives to bring her back.
It also said progress on resolving the Rohingya crisis was also reviewed. During the meeting, the committee expressed hope to visit the Rohingya camps in October.
The meeting noted that Bangladesh's foreign policy must remain balanced. Bangladesh will maintain partnerships with every country, but decisions will be taken giving priority to the national interest. It was also mentioned that the prime minister has emphasised the "Bangladesh First" policy.
A report on controlling illegal migration and human trafficking was presented at the meeting. It was noted that serious procedural flaws existed in the past regarding sending workers abroad, and the country is currently having to deal with the long-standing problems stemming from a lack of proper scrutiny.
To overcome this situation, efforts are underway with an emphasis on ensuring the proper authentication of migrant workers' information and documents.
At the same time, the committee recommended taking steps to establish a mechanism for sending workers abroad through suitable and verified recruiting agencies under a transparent and effective process, in coordination with the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
A migration wing has been launched at the foreign ministry for the first time to ensure safe migration and protect the interests of migrant workers.
Furthermore, recommendations were made to take necessary measures to run social awareness campaigns at the grassroots level to protect prospective migrants from fraud by brokers and unauthorised middlemen, and to inform the public about legal migration procedures, said the press release.
