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State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain has rejected media reports claiming that he was ordered to resign, describing the reports as “false, baseless and motivated”.
In a rebuttal issued on Sunday, his press officer, Mahfuz Kabir Mukta, said no instruction had been given by the government’s top leadership for Ishraque to step down.
He added that there was no question of the state minister resigning and urged the media and the public not to be misled by the reports.
The statement also called on media outlets that published the reports to withdraw them and publish accurate information.
It warned that legal action could be taken against those spreading misinformation.
Earlier, several media outlets reported, citing multiple high-level government sources, that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had instructed Ishraque to resign following a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon.
However, no official government confirmation was available at the time.
The reports came amid controversy over Ishraque’s participation in an anti-narcotics drive in Dhaka’s Gendaria area on Saturday.
Videos circulating on social media showed him holding a firearm during the operation, prompting questions about the legality of his actions.
In the rebuttal, his office maintained that the firearm had been displayed lawfully in self-defence and said Ishraque had already clarified his position on the incident.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has assigned the deputy commissioner of its Wari division to investigate whether any laws were violated during the operation.
Police have said legal action would be taken if violations are established.