Prime Minister’s Political Assistant Rashed Khan on Tuesday said that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina would be sentenced to death if she returns to Bangladesh, adding that the government wants to ensure justice through a fair trial.

He made the remarks while speaking at a doa and milad mahfil after paying tribute at the grave of July uprising martyr Golam Nafiz at Madhubagh mass graveyard in capital's Dakshinkhan.

“I want to tell the Awami League leaders who are in Bangladesh and those who have fled abroad that they will never return in their lifetime,” Rashed Khan said.

“Those Awami League members who are still in Bangladesh, who did not commit any injustice, repression or crimes, and who did not play any negative role during the July uprising, will not face any hassle from the BNP government, InshaAllah. We will not oppress anyone,” he added.

Referring to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said, “Our prime minister has said that the backbone of him was broken during the Awami League government’s tenure. But if he takes revenge now, will his pain go away? So, we do not want to cause unnecessary suffering to anyone.”

Rashed Khan said people trusted BNP because they believed the party was capable of repairing the country’s “broken state system.”

He said BNP could have pressured the interim government for an early election but allowed it time for reforms.

“Dr Muhammad Yunus himself said that if small reforms were needed, elections could be held quickly, but if major reforms were required, more time would be needed. But after 18 months, what reforms were actually completed?” he asked.

He also criticised former advisers Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Mahfuj Alam, alleging controversies surrounding their tenure.

He urged all political forces to cooperate with BNP in running the country and implementing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s vision.