Foreign Affairs Adviser Tauhid Hossain stated that BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarek Rahman is free to return to Bangladesh whenever he wishes. “So far, he has not applied for a passport or any travel documents at the Bangladesh mission in London,” Hossain said. He added that the government will take appropriate action if Tarek submits an application, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot act proactively on its own.

On election observation, the adviser mentioned that the European Union has expressed interest, but the Election Commission will decide on the matter. Regarding the positions of friendly nations and development partners on participatory elections, any comment at this stage would be speculative. Hossain also noted that India has previously received a single letter requesting the return of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; any further communication will be announced officially.