Bangladesh: Information on Mr. Abdul Kader Siddiqi (Siddique/Siddiqui)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGD8282 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bangladesh: Information on Mr. Abdul Kader Siddiqi (Siddique/Siddiqui), 1 April 1991, BGD8282, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acba38.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Following the downfall of President Ershad in Bangladesh, a Reuters report on 16 December 1990 states that Kader Siddiqi, "a hero of Bangladesh's independence struggle" who is known as "the Tiger", returned to Bangladesh after 15 years in exile in India ("Bangladesh Independence Hero Returns After 15-Year Exile", 16 December 1990, 1).
According to a report carried by The United Press International on 1 January 1991, Abdul Kader Siddiqui is an "Awami League leader who was once convicted in military court" ("Inmates in Bangladesh Refers to Return to Cells", 1 January 1991, 1).
A Kyodo News Service report on 18 January 1991 maintains that the Bangladeshi authorities arrested Abdul Kader Siddique, "a leading figure in the Bangladesh war of independence in 1971", on 17 January 1991 ("Asian News; Controversial Political Leader Arrested in Bangladesh", 18 January 1991 ). The source adds that the arrested person is a "top leader of the Bangladeshi Awami League" who "recently submitted a nomination paper for next month's parliamentary election" (Ibid.). According to the source, a Bangladeshi Home Ministry statement in January 1991 reasoned the arrest as a legal measure since Mr. Saddique had been tried and sentenced to seven years imprisonment and a fine in absentia on 24 July 1978 (Ibid.).
An article in The Independent on 18 January 1991 holds that the Bangladeshi police arrested Kader Siddiqi "five weeks after he returned from a 15-year exile in India" ("Hero of Bangladeshi War Is under Arrest", 18 January 1991). The article quotes a Bangladeshi radio broadcast as saying Mr. Saddiqi "has been arrested under the Special Powers Act of 1974" (Ibid.). The source adds that "Mr. Saddiqi was sentenced in his absence to life imprisonment for the killing of an army major and other soldiers during a 1975 revolt in response to the murder of the president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in a military coup" (Ibid.). The arrested person applied to run for a seat in the parliamentary election which would be held on 27 February 1991, according to the source (Ibid.).
An article in Far Eastern Economic Review on 31 January 1991 reports that the government of Bangladesh allowed Mr. Saddiqi to "seek a seat on an Awami League ticket" despite his detention ("The Crowded Field", 31 January 1991).
Additional information on the subject is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
Attachments
Far Eastern Economic Review. 31 January 1991. "The Crowded Field."
Reuters. 16 December 1990. "Bangladesh Independence Hero Returns After 15-Year Exile."; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
Kyodo News Service. 18 January 1991. "Asian News; Controversial Political Leader Arrested in Bangladesh." (NEXIS)
The Independent. 18 January 1991. "Hero of Bangladeshi War Is under Arrest." (NEXIS)
The United Press International, 1 January 1991. "Inmates in Bangladesh Refers to Return to Cells."; 1, 2. (NEXIS)