BNP on Monday alleged that sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique who had been staying abroad since his blasphemous remarks against Islam safely came out of the airport on Sunday night with the government’s help despite having arrest warrants.
“It’s clear that there has been a big government support to Latif Siddique’s safe return … This also demonstrates his constant contact with the administration,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.He said Latif would not have been able to come out of the airport avoiding arrest had the government been sincere in taking legal action against him.
The BNP spokesman made the remarks while talking to journalists after a meeting with visiting Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Isabella Lövin at the Swedish embassy.
Despite having several court warrants pending for his arrest, 77-year-old former Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddique returned home on Sunday night, nearly two months after his disparaging remarks against Islam in the USA.
Latif who arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Kolkata by an Air India flight around 8:40pm left the airport under an escort of law enforcers for an undisclosed location through the domestic terminal of the airport.
At a views-exchange meeting with expatriates from Tangail in New York on September 28, Latif Siddique made disparaging remarks about the Prophet (sm) hajj, one of the main pillars of Islam, and Tablig Jamaat.
He had said: “During hajj, too much of manpower is wasted. Over 20 lakh people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. They’ve no work, no production and they only cause deduction.”
“Some 20 lakh Tablig Jamaat people get together annually who don’t do any work except halting traffic movement across the country,” he added.
His remarks triggered widespread criticisms both at home and abroad subsequently a number of courts across the country, including ones in Dhaka, Chittagong and Narail, issued warrants for the arrest of him in separate cases filed for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims with his derogatory comments.
About the meeting with the Swedish Minister who here in the morning on a three-day visit, Fakhrul said they discussed various issues relating to Bangladesh’s democracy, politics, human rights and press freedom.
“We both sides agreed that democracy and human rights are the pre-conditions of development in any country. No proper development is possible without democracy and human rights. So, democracy must be restored.”
The minister told the BNP delegation that his country will remain beside Bangladesh for its development.
Besides, Isabella Lövin also assured of working together with Bangladesh on climate change issue.
The other BNP delegation members include BNP chairperson’s adviser Inam Ahmed Chowdhury, Reaz Rahman and Sabihuddin. – UNB
