Dhaka, Feb 25: Bangladesh interim government’s Information Adviser and one of the key leaders of the students’ movement, Nahid Islam, Tuesday resigned from the cabinet, ahead of the launch of a new political party by the July uprising activists.
“Given the current situation in the country, the rise of a new political force is necessary. I have resigned from the advisory council to remain on the streets to consolidate the mass uprising,” Islam said in a media briefing after submitting his resignation letter to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
One of the key coordinators of the July uprising that toppled the Awami League regime led by Sheikh Hasina, Nahid said his role on the street appeared more important than staying in government.
He said he wanted to work for people’s aspirations for a democratic change and thus resigned as an adviser, effectively a minister with two portfolios of Information & Broadcasting and Post and Telecommunications.
Anti-Discrimination Student Movement led a mass uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Islam was one of the three representatives of the Movement, who were inducted into the council of advisers.
He resigned as the platform and its ally Jatiya Nagorik Committee or “national citizens committee”, also led by students, earlier this month said they were set to form a new political party on Friday but did not announce its name. Islam is likely to join the new political party as its top leader.
His resignation came amid criticisms from former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and several groups against forming a party with their representatives staying in state power.
‘I am warning you’
Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman on Tuesday warned politicians against fighting among themselves, saying this infighting poses a great risk to the country’s sovereignty.
“I am warning you. You cannot later say that I did not warn you,” he said at an event held in remembrance of the army officers who died in the brutal killings at Pilkhana in 2009.
On February 25 and 26, 2009, several army officers, including the then-director general of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, were murdered in a mutiny at the headquarters of the paramilitary force (now Border Guard Bangladesh-BGB) in Pilkhana, Dhaka. In total, 74 bodies were recovered from the incident.
General Zaman said that Bangladesh is going through a chaotic situation, and criminals are taking advantage of it.
“There are a few reasons behind the deteriorating law and order situation. The first reason is that we are busy fighting. We are busy enraging each other,” he said. (PTI)
