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The government will examine whether there were shortcomings in security arrangements for former chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus in the United States following a reported attempt to harass him at an airport, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat, Zahed said the reported incident was believed to be linked to Yunus taking responsibility for the state after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
He said Yunus’s performance as head of the interim government could be criticised, noting that Yunus himself had criticised his government’s activities while in Bangladesh. However, the adviser said, harassment was unacceptable.
Zahed also referred to reported harassment involving a state minister and an actress who had expressed solidarity with the July uprising. He said people associated with movements during the interim government had faced similar incidents.
The adviser characterised these incidents as acts of Awami League terrorism, while saying the government would take necessary measures in response.
He said legal proceedings had begun over the incident involving the actress and that the government would also examine the case involving Yunus.
Given Yunus’s status as a former chief adviser, the government would review whether appropriate security and state arrangements had been ensured for him during his visit to the United States, Zahed added.
The adviser also warned that incidents involving Awami League members living abroad would not go unanswered.
On Sheikh Hasina’s possible return
Asked whether Sheikh Hasina might return to Bangladesh in December, Zahed said the government wanted her to return.
He said Hasina had been tried and sentenced in a crimes-against-humanity case and that Bangladesh had requested India to hand her over.
The government would welcome her return, he said, adding that it wanted the allegations against her to be addressed through the country’s judicial system.
On media coverage of July uprising-related incidents
Responding to a question about media coverage of alleged harassment involving people associated with the July uprising and the interim government, Zahed said the Information and Broadcasting Ministry was aware of how some outlets framed such incidents.
He said the ministry monitored whether criticism of Yunus and reports about him remained within legal boundaries, while stressing that media outlets had room to interpret events from their own perspectives.
However, if a media outlet crossed legal boundaries, affected individuals could seek legal remedies through the judiciary, he added.
