Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Joint Secretary General and spokesperson, Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman, condemned the attack on National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain at a New York airport and criticised the overall planning and management of the Chief Adviser’s trip to the United Nations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Maulana Ataur Rahman criticised the Chief Adviser for bringing political leaders from three parties to the UN General Assembly and attempting to forecast the results of the upcoming election prematurely, prior to the actual polling.
He called this an effort to present these parties on the global stage at state expense, which would undermine the level playing field for the forthcoming elections.
He stressed that a fair electoral environment heavily depends on the mindset of the election administrators, who may become biased after receiving such clear signals from the interim government. “There can be no greater shortsightedness from a government responsible for conducting elections,” he added.
Maulana Ataur Rahman further criticised the Chief Adviser’s security arrangements, saying that the political leaders brought along were isolated separately at the airport. The incident involving Akhtar Hossain and other leaders clearly shows the Chief Adviser has failed to ensure their safety.
He voiced serious concerns over the mismanagement and security lapses during a high-profile visit to a place like New York.
“If the security of political leaders is compromised during such a high-priority visit, it raises serious concerns about their safety during the upcoming national elections under this government,” he said.
The Islami Andolan Bangladesh strongly condemned the attack and demanded that the US authorities take action against the perpetrators according to their laws. They also called for an investigation into the negligence or irresponsibility that led to this embarrassing incident, and urged that those responsible be brought to justice.
