What will be fate of Rohingyas entered before Oct 9, 2016: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today raised a question over the fate of the Rohingyas, who entered Bangladesh before October 9, 2016 in the face of persecution in Myanmar.

"You (govt) have reached an agreement with Myanmar to repatriate its nationals who were displaced since October 9, 2016. But what will happen to those Rohingyas who entered Bangladesh before the date," he said.

Fakhrul's concern came hours after Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali assured that Rohingya repatriation deal will not hamper Bangladesh's interest.

Earlier in the day, the foreign minister at a press conference said that Myanmar will take back only those refugees who fled to Bangladesh following the violence on October 9, 2016 and August 25 this year.

Fakhrul also criticised the government for signing such agreement horridly and keeping the United Nations and other interested countries away from the repatriation process.

"It is good indeed but the matter of concern is that there is no clear indication in the agreement about when and how the repatriation process will begin," he added.

Fakhrul again said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could have visited China, Russia and India before signing the agreement to garner their supports for smooth repatriation of the Rohingya people.

"We have been frequently calling up on the government to hatch diplomatic efforts for the sake of our national interest but failed," he added.