Following the downfall of President Ershad in Bangladesh, a
Reuters report on 16 December 1990 states that Kader
Siddiqi, "a hero of Bangladesh's independence struggle" who is
known as "the Tiger", returned to Bangladesh after 15 years in
exile in India ("Bangladesh Independence Hero Returns After 15-Year
Exile", 16 December 1990, 1).
According to a report carried by
The United Press
International on 1 January 1991, Abdul Kader Siddiqui is an
"Awami League leader who was once convicted in military court"
("Inmates in Bangladesh Refers to Return to Cells", 1 January 1991,
1).
A
Kyodo News Service report on 18 January 1991 maintains
that the Bangladeshi authorities arrested Abdul Kader Siddique, "a
leading figure in the Bangladesh war of independence in 1971", on
17 January 1991 ("Asian News; Controversial Political Leader
Arrested in Bangladesh", 18 January 1991 ). The source adds that
the arrested person is a "top leader of the Bangladeshi Awami
League" who "recently submitted a nomination paper for next month's
parliamentary election" (Ibid.). According to the source, a
Bangladeshi Home Ministry statement in January 1991 reasoned the
arrest as a legal measure since Mr. Saddique had been tried and
sentenced to seven years imprisonment and a fine in absentia on 24
July 1978 (Ibid.).
An article in
The Independent on 18 January 1991 holds that
the Bangladeshi police arrested Kader Siddiqi "five weeks after he
returned from a 15-year exile in India" ("Hero of Bangladeshi War
Is under Arrest", 18 January 1991). The article quotes a
Bangladeshi radio broadcast as saying Mr. Saddiqi "has been
arrested under the Special Powers Act of 1974" (Ibid.). The source
adds that "Mr. Saddiqi was sentenced in his absence to life
imprisonment for the killing of an army major and other soldiers
during a 1975 revolt in response to the murder of the president,
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in a military coup" (Ibid.). The arrested
person applied to run for a seat in the parliamentary election
which would be held on 27 February 1991, according to the source
(Ibid.).
An article in
Far Eastern Economic Review on 31 January
1991 reports that the government of Bangladesh allowed Mr. Saddiqi
to "seek a seat on an Awami League ticket" despite his detention
("The Crowded Field", 31 January 1991).
Additional information on the subject is currently unavailable to
the IRBDC.
Attachments
Far Eastern Economic Review. 31
January 1991. "The Crowded Field."
Reuters. 16 December 1990. "Bangladesh Independence Hero
Returns After 15-Year Exile."; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
Kyodo News Service. 18 January 1991. "Asian News;
Controversial Political Leader Arrested in Bangladesh." (NEXIS)
The Independent. 18 January 1991. "Hero of Bangladeshi War
Is under Arrest." (NEXIS)
The United Press International, 1 January 1991. "Inmates in
Bangladesh Refers to Return to Cells."; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
