UK shouldn’t offer asylum to Hasina: Rupa Huq

Bangladesh origin British MP Rupa Huq has said it would be unwise for the UK to give refuge to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“As a British Bangladeshi MP, my inbox is a lightning rod for Bangladeshi issues worldwide. At the moment. pleading mails ask me to ‘ban the butcher’ and similar requests as it is rumoured London is her next destination,” she wrote in an opinion column published by the Standard newspaper of UK on Friday.

“I personally think given the deep unpopularity of her bloodthirsty regime and political sensitivities around immigration, it’d be unwise for the UK to give refuge to such a high-profile asylum seeker who is subject of an International Criminal Court application,” Huq opined.

Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana fled to India on August 5 following a mass upsurge that began as a peaceful movement just over a month back.

There were reports Hasina would be taking refuge in the UK where Rehana’s daughter Tulip Siddiq is also a Labour Party MP.

In her opinion column, Rupa Huq wrote that the recent student unrest, where hundreds of unarmed minors were killed by police under a “shoot on sight” policy resembling that of stormtroopers, sparked protests by expatriates in Paris, Rome, Manchester, Trafalgar Square and Middle East.

Many Bangladeshis think she should return to face charges there, she said.

Rupa Huq said there is a collective sense of relief among her Bangladeshi cousins, as the atmosphere of fear surrounding any criticism of the government seems to be easing.

However, risks remain, she said. The deposed camp argues they maintained stability, but as elections approach, it’s time for a change, she added.

Instead of the ongoing feud between two families that has marked Bangladesh’s history, the country should aim for a fresh start, she said.