Want international support to press for Rohingyas' return: Hasina
Santiniketan, May 25: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday sought cooperation from the international community to mount pressure on the Myanmar government to take back close to 1.1 million Rohingya refugees sheltered in her country.
"I want everybody's cooperation, so that there is pressure on Myanmar government to take them back fast," Hasina said after inaugurating the Bangladesh Bhawan here in West Bengal's Birbhum district.
Hasina said her government decided to give shelter to the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds as they were persecuted back home.
"Eleven lakh Rohingyas have taken shelter on Bangladeshi soil... We have given them shelter on humanitarian grounds. But we want them to return to their country soon," she said.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister recalled her sister Rehana's appeal to her to give shelter to the Rohingyas.
"My sister Rehana told me, when you provide meals to 16 crore people (of Bangladesh), can't you provide meal to seven lakh more?
"We can. If need be, we will share our food with them," Hasina said.
The Indian government has refused to give shelter to the fleeing Rohingya refugees, saying it was already facing a "serious problem of infiltration" because of its porous border.
However, on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained mum on the issue at the Visva-Bharati University convocation as also the inauguration of the Bangladesh Bhawan here.
Close to 1.1 million Rohingyas have been residing in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh, known as the Cox's Bazar region, after they fled Rakhine state of Myanmar to escape a military crackdown on their villages on the night of August 24-25, last year.
Myanmar authorities, who signed an agreement with Bangladesh last November to repatriate the refugees, have denied allegations of human rights abuses in the military offensive and justified it as a legitimate response to terror.
Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingyas as citizens, claiming they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which has led to continued discrimination against the community, including restrictions on their freedom of movement.
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Malegaon blast trial: Court issues bailable warrant against Pragya Thakur
Mumbai, Nov 5: A special NIA court here on Tuesday issued a bailable warrant against BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, for failing to attend the proceedings.
Final arguments were going on and the presence of the accused is necessary, special judge A K Lahoti noted as he issued a bailable warrant of Rs 10,000 against Thakur.
The warrant is `returnable' by November 13 which means Thakur will have to appear before the court by then and get it cancelled.
The BJP leader's lawyer cited her health problems while requesting the special court for National Investigation Agency cases to grant her reasonable time to remain present.
But the court noted that Thakur, the accused number 1, had not attended the proceedings since June 4.
Her past applications for exemption on the grounds of illness and hospitalization were considered from time to time, the special judge said.
"Today, the application was filed, along with a xerox copy of the medical certificate, showing she is undergoing ayurvedic treatment, but the original certificate is not annexed," the court said while rejecting her plea.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008.
Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and five others are on trial for alleged involvement in the blast conspiracy under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case was initially probed by the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), Maharashtra, before being transferred to the National Investigation Agency in 2011.
