Shams Eskandar, the nephew of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and a key witness to a historical encounter between the Zia and Sheikh Hasina families, has accused senior journalist Naem Nizam of disseminating false information.
Speaking on Monday, Eskandar claimed that Nizam “twisted” the facts of the incident to suit his own narrative and spread misinformation regarding a reputable newspaper editor.
The controversy follows a Facebook post by Naem Nizam on 14 May, titled “Sheikh Hasina’s apology at Sayeed Eskandar’s house with Mahfuz Anam.”
In the post, Nizam claimed that during the first Khaleda Zia government, senior journalist Mahfuz Anam accompanied Sheikh Hasina to the residence of Sayeed Eskandar to resolve an “unpleasant incident.”
Nizam further alleged that Anam advised Hasina’s special assistant, Mrinal Kanti Das, to secretly record a conversation between Hasina and Sayeed’s wife without her knowledge.
Shams Eskandar, the son of Sayeed Eskandar, addressed these claims after meeting with the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal on Monday regarding a case investigation. He clarified that the actual event occurred when he was 10 years old.
While travelling to school, he and his driver were intercepted in front of Dhanmondi 32 and beaten by Chhatra League activists. He was then detained for over six hours, undergoing physical and mental torture before being released under pressure.
Eskandar stated that Nizam’s portrayal of the event was “completely inconsistent with reality” and a distortion of the facts. He noted that following the kidnapping, Sheikh Hasina visited the Eskandar residence to console the family and requested that the matter not be pursued further.
Criticising the senior journalist’s conduct, Eskandar remarked, “It is a matter of sorrow for us if we receive such misleading information from responsible people like them.”
He added that Nizam, as an editor himself, should have verified the facts before spreading misinformation about another renowned editor. Mahfuz Anam has already dismissed Nizam’s allegations as “imaginary.”
