The task of bringing back convicted Bangladesh nationals being held in UAE prisons will begin soon, Sate Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said.
There were 1,019 Bangladeshi prisoners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he said, of whom, 10 were facing death sentences.
“A deal has been signed to handover convicted prisoners. We are trying to find out how they can be brought back to the country,” Kamal told reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
Bangladesh signed three deals with the UAE on Monday during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official visit.
Kamal signed the agreements on the repatrition of convicted prisoners and security collaboration on behalf of Bangladesh.
According to Additional Home Secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed, the prisoner exchange treaty will facilitate one country to hand over convicted criminals to the other.
“The treaty is similar to what we have with other countries. It will protect the interests of both countries,” he said on Monday.
The agreement can be implemented within 30 days of its Cabinet endorsement, added Ahmed.
The UAE is the second largest manpower destination after Saudi Arabia for the remittance-dependent Bangladesh economy.
In 2012, it had imposed restrictions on its labour market vis-a-vis Bangladeshi workers like several other countries.
More than a million Bangladeshis currently work there, but some of them were caught indulging in unlawful activities, prompting the restrictions.
Source: Bd news24
