Kolkata, 05 August (H.S.): Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin has said she still hopes to return to Bangladesh after spending 32 years in exile. She also urged the Bangladeshi government to allow former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to return to the country and participate in politics, describing it as a democratic right.

Speaking to reporters at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport before departing on Wednesday, Taslima said, I have been living in exile for 32 years. I want to return to Bangladesh, but I am not being allowed to go back.

A day earlier, after paying tribute at the memorial of social reformer Begum Rokeya in Panihati, Taslima said the ban imposed on Sheikh Hasina's party should be lifted. She added that Hasina should be allowed to return to Bangladesh and engage in politics.

Commenting on democracy in Bangladesh, Taslima said all political parties should be allowed to function freely in a democratic system. While reiterating her opposition to religion-based politics, she said every opposition party should have the freedom to express its views.

Paying tribute to Begum Rokeya, Taslima described her as a progressive writer and a strong opponent of religious fundamentalism. She recounted that after Rokeya's death in 1932, religious hardliners allegedly opposed her burial in Kolkata, following which she was buried secretly in Panihati on privately owned land arranged by a progressive supporter.

Taslima also claimed that the Bangladeshi government has not renewed her passport and that she has been denied a Bangladeshi visa on her Swedish passport, leaving her without valid travel documents to return home.

The feminist writer, who recently visited India after nearly 19 years, said she would remain in India for now. Reflecting on her Kolkata visit, she said she was overwhelmed by the affection she received from the people and expressed her desire to return in October, January, and during the Kolkata Book Fair.

Taslima Nasrin arrived in Kolkata on July 31 at the invitation of Secular Mission and two other organisations. Her visit was conducted under tight security. She thanked the organisers for their hospitality and said she would always be happy to return whenever Kolkata welcomed her.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey