Indian media 'The Indian Express' has published an interview with former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal of the ousted Awami League government. In that interview, why has the Awami League government fallen, what should be done in the future; He gave detailed opinion on those matters. However, the chief adviser's press wing termed the interview as 'full of lies and misinformation' as 'well-organised propaganda'.
A statement posted on the press wing's 'CA Press Wing Fact Check' page late on Friday (January 24) said, 'Indian Express has not sought comment from any authorities in Bangladesh on Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal's statement; Which is an indication of the intention to run a propaganda campaign against the interim government of Bangladesh and the people of the country.
The press wing statement further said, as part of a well-organized propaganda, The Indian Express published several reports on Friday; Which is based on the statement of the fugitive leaders of Awami League. All these leaders are suspected criminals and accused of murder and genocide. One such report was titled, In Hiding, Bangladesh's Awami League Top Brass Connect with Sheikh Hasina, Wait for 'Rule of Law' to Return. The report was full of false and misleading information; The publication of which did not follow the basic principles of journalism.
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said in his interview, 'I was in charge of Home Minister in Bangladesh for 10 years and 6 months. This period witnessed many developments. Now everything has turned 360 degrees. Between August 3 and 5 last year, around 460 police stations were burnt, 5,829 weapons were taken from the police stations. Weapons of the SSF (Special Security Force responsible for VVIP security) were also taken from the Prime Minister's residence Gana Bhavan. I myself was in Dhaka on August 5 and 6 and left home on August 7'.
Countering his statement, citing information from the police headquarters, the chief adviser's press wing said a total of 5,750 weapons were looted from the police station and most of them were looted on August 5. However, the law and order forces have recovered 4 thousand 358 of the looted weapons. Besides, the operation to rescue the rest is continuing.
According to police headquarters, a total of 114 police stations were attacked during the agitation. Of these, 58 police stations were burnt and 56 police stations were vandalized, all police stations are now functional.
In an interview, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said in an interview that he could not see this situation even from the responsibility of the internal security of the country as the Home Minister. The nation then had no choice but to watch silently and count the bodies. Police protect citizens. But what happens if the police are paralyzed? I would say, it was a collective coup. This is a joint coup by Islamic extremism and the military.'
However, the former home minister admitted the intelligence failure in the July-August movement. “I agree that there was an intelligence failure, be it intentional or unintentional,” he said. But it was a military coup. The army has a special intelligence unit, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). They report directly to the Prime Minister. The National Security Intelligence Agency also reports directly to the Prime Minister. Even the police intelligence department reports to the prime minister. Only a summary of the intelligence report comes to the Home Minister.'
Regarding this statement, the press wing said in their statement, 'This further proves that the fallen dictator Hasina, her allies and her party still have no remorse for killing more than 1,000 people, including children, and injuring nearly 20,000 people.'
What to expect from India, how India can help; Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told Indian Express, 'I was a commander of the freedom fighters, so I know what India did to help Bangladesh in 1971. I admit, India has always helped Bangladesh. Now India can help diplomatically. Our courts are crippled. Awami League lawyers are not able to go to court. All judges are newly appointed. So the first step is to put diplomatic pressure and make loud demands that the courts become functional again. India can help in this.'
The press wing considers his demand as a 'clear threat against the sovereignty of Bangladesh'. “During the interview, Kamal sought India's intervention in Bangladesh courts, which is a clear threat to Bangladesh's sovereignty and proof that Hasina and her followers are conspiring against Bangladesh from India,” the statement said.
Kamal also claimed in the interview that there are around 290 murder cases against him. It must be a record, maybe even an international record. In 54 of these cases, those who were said to have been murdered, came back alive. But terming his claim as 'totally baseless', the press wing said Indian Express had published it without verification by any official or independent source.
Kamal claims that the media of Bangladesh is completely under (the interim government's) control. The media cannot comment. They cannot raise a voice for anything. They are silent now. In this regard, the statement of the press wing said, 'This is a very wrong statement. Because since August 8, 2024, no local or international press has faced any obstruction by any government agency and the Interim Government of Bangladesh believes in full freedom of press.'