Home Minister
Home minister in New Delhi to join international conference on terror financing
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan arrived in India's New Delhi Thursday to attend an international ministerial conference on how to deal with terror financing, including legitimate and illegitimate funding routes.
The third ministerial "No Money for Terror" conference, organised by the Indian government in New Delhi on Friday and Saturday, will be attended by representatives of 76 countries to discuss terrorist financing and related issues.
Home ministers of about 20 countries including Russia, France, Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore are expected to participate in the event.
Asaduzzaman is leading a three-member Bangladesh delegation. Other members of the delegation are Public Security Division Joint Secretary Abu Hena Mustafa Zaman and its Senior Information Officer Md Sharif Mahmud Apu.
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The ministerial conference aims to progress the discussions on combating terrorist financing held by the international community in the previous two Conferences in Paris (2018) and Melbourne (2019).
"It also intends to include discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperation aspects of all facets of terrorism financing. It attempts to also set the pace for other high-level official and political deliberations, focused on countering terrorist financing," the Indian home ministry said.
"Discussions at the conference will focus on global trends in terrorism and terrorist financing, the use of formal and informal channels of funds for terrorism, emerging technologies in the context of terrorist financing and requisite international cooperation to address related challenges," it added.
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The topic for Bangladesh in the programme is terror financing through money transfer service schemes and hundi networks.
Asaduzzaman is scheduled to return to Dhaka on Sunday.
Drug, militancy to be uprooted at any cost: Home Minister
Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday reiterated that drugs, militancy and terrorism will be uprooted from the country at any cost.
He made the remark while addressing at an anti-drug, militancy and terrorism rally held at Madrasha Babunagar Government Primary School in Satkania upazila of the district, as the chief guest on Tuesday.
“No drug is produced in our country, we don’t let anybody produce drugs and drives are on against the drugs” he said.
The prisons of the country can accommodate only 40,000 accused while the number of accused can’t be reduced from that anyhow, he said.
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“A section of people carried out attack on Masjid, Temple and Church, it was found when looked back,” he said.
“We overcame from the killing of priest of Iskan temple, Holey Artisan Bakery”, he said adding that the world got surprised asking what was happening in Bangladesh.
Minister Kamal said “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a devoted soul of Islam and she does noting which goes against Islam, she starts her works with Namaz and recitation of the holy Quran,” he said.
Read more: Need to be tougher on drugs: Home Minister
Local lawmaker Pro Dr Abu Reza Muhammad Nezamuddin Nadwi presided over the programme where local Awami League leaders and high-ups of administration among others were present at the programme.
No concrete evidence yet on Buet student Fardin’s murder: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday said law enforcement agencies are yet get any tangible evidence to untangle the murder of Fardin Noor Parash, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).
He was responding to a question from reporters at a programe held to mark the 9th founding anniversary of River Police at Rajarbagh Police Lines in the capital in the evening.
"We have not received any information with concrete proof," the home minister said. “We speak only on facts.”
Police recovered Fardin’s body from the Shitalakhkhya River, behind a cotton mill at Siddhirganj, on November 7, three days after he went missing.
Read more: Buet student Fardin might have been killed in Dhaka: DB
On November 8, Sheikh Farhad, a physician at Narayanganj General Hospital where the autopsy was done, said there were several injury marks on Fardin’s head and body.
On Thursday, Fardin’s father Kazi Nuruddin Rana filed case against his son’s friend Amatullah Bushra, a 3rd year student of East West University, and several unidentified people in connection with the death with Rampura Police Station.
Police arrested Amatullah Bushra the same day hours after filing the case.
Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has been investigating the case to unearth the motive of the murder and who did it.
Read more: Buet student Fardin’s last tracked location was in Gazipur: Home Minister
Buet student Fardin’s last tracked location was in Gazipur: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan today (November 10, 2022) said, the primary suspicion is that Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Fardin Noor Parash was murdered.
“How Fardin’s body ended up in Shitalakhkhya river is being investigated,” he said in a response to questions from reporters at Rajarbagh Police Lines in Dhaka.
Read more: Fardin’s death: Friend Bushra put on 5-day remand
He also said Fardin’s last location was tracked in Gazipur. “How his body ended up in the river from Gazipur is being investigated,” the home minister said.
He said investigation is underway, treating it as a murder.
It will be possible to share details after the investigation is complete and report is received, he added.
Read more: 'He was murdered': Fardin's father demands justice
Those behind Fardin’s death will be brought to justice after identifying them, he said.
Fardin was a 3rd year student of BUET’s civil engineering department and a resident of Qutubpur area in Narayanganj's Fatullah.
Police recovered Fardin’s body from the Shitalakhkhya River, behind a cotton mill at Siddhirganj, on November 7, three days after he went missing.
Earlier today, Police arrested Fardin’s friend Amatullah Bushra, 3rd year student of East West University, from her Banasree home in Dhaka.
Read more: Injury marks on head, body of Buet student Fardin: Doctor who conducted autopsy
Deceased’s father Kazi Nuruddin Rana filed a case against Bushra and several unidentified people in connection with his son’s death with Rampura Police Station, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station.
On November 8, Sheikh Farhad, a physician at Narayanganj General Hospital where the autopsy was done, said there were several injury marks on BUET student Fardin’s head and body.
Zero tolerance for chaos in the name of rally: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Wednesday stern action will be taken if any damage and chaos is carried out in the name of a rally by blocking the roads.
Law enforcers will defend the bid to damage the people’s life and property in the name of holding rallies, he added.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the five-day free treatment and operation of cleft lip and palate patients under the initiative of Asmat Ali Khan Foundation in Madaripur.
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BNP will hold a rally with millions of people in the capital Dhaka, claiming to form the government there, the minister added.
He said the whole country is getting ready for the national elections.
“The people of the country will vote for the boat symbol and bring Sheikh Hasina to power again,” he said, adding that there is no substitute for Sheikh Hasina.
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'Trial of freedom fighters' killers will be held on this soil'
Those who were involved in the killing of freedom fighters in the name of the 7th November revolution in 1975 will be tried on the soil of Bangladesh, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said on Monday.
"An investigation committee is being formed for this,” he said while speaking at a discussion at the Central Shaheed Minar.
'Families of Martyred Freedom Fighters of the 7th November of 1975' organized the event titled '7th November, Freedom Fighters Killing Day discussion'.
Also read: Fugitive killers of 4 national leaders to be brought back: Home Minister
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave us hope by prosecuting war criminals. We also believe that those who killed the freedom fighters will also be brought to justice in this country," he added.
“The soldiers and freedom fighters who were executed on that day, their families do not even know where their bodies were buried. We prosecuted war criminals. After the trial, the bodies were returned to their families. But these families did not even get that. That's why they want justice today. We hope they live to see the trial of these murders,” the minister added.
President of Asiatic Society, freedom fighter Prof Dr Khandker Bazlul Huq presided over the discussion while Awami League lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor spoke as a special guest.
Officials sent on retirement for lack of skills, patriotism: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Thursday that police officers are being sent on retirement for their lack of skills and patriotism.
The minister made the remarks in reply to a question while attending a dialogue organised by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the secretariat.
After removing Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mokbul Hossain, the government has recently sent five police officers to retirement.
Read more: 2 Additional DIGs sent on compulsory retirement
The minister said that after 25 years of service many officials lose their momentum in terms of skills and patriotism, and authorities then take steps.
“This is a routine procedure,” he said.
The minister, however, said that the trend of lacking skills is not alarming.
“There is no point in occupying a post if someone lacks skills,” he said.
On October 31, Md Alamgir Alam, Additional DIG of Police (crime investigation department), and Md Mahbub Hakim, Additional DIG of Tourist Police, were sent on compulsory retirement according to section 45 of Public Service Act, 2018.
read more: Three SPs sent on compulsory retirement
On October 18, three other police officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) were sent on compulsory retirement.
Security agencies will act, if vandalism is there in the name of protests, says Home Minister
Law enforcing agencies will perform their duties if anyone causes public sufferings in the name of protests by blocking roads and vandalism, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday.
The Home Minister referred to a recent statement by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that any party can hold their activities peacefully and there is no objection from the government.
But, the minister said, action will be taken if there is any vandalism or public sufferings.
“The Prime Minister believes that if the political activities are conducted normally, parties will hold meetings and talk about their demands. Our government does not intend to obstruct and are not obstructing such activities,” the minister said.
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The minister made the remarks as he talked to journalists in a dialogue organised by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the secretariat on Thursday.
He said that in case of any violent act, cases will be filed as a normal procedure.
“Yesterday, a former justice's car was vandalised and he filed a case following the normal procedure. There is no need to find the smell of politics here,” said the minister.
When asked if old political cases are being reopened against the opposition leaders, he said, ”There is a backlog of cases that need to be disposed of. We cannot keep old cases pending for decades, so nothing is being done here.”
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He said Awami League has always believed a party has to come to power through the people's mandate, and if any kind of untoward incident occurs or there are attempts to do so, the security forces will act.
Fugitive killers of 4 national leaders to be brought back: Home Minister
The government is trying its best to bring back the fugitive killers of four national leaders, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Jail Killing Day today.
Besides, the process to bring back the fugitive killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is also on, he said while talking to reporters after paying tribute to the four leaders marking the day.
Read more: Jail Killing Day: PM Hasina pays homage to Bangabandhu, four national leaders
“The murders were committed in jail, where security was ensured by the state. The whole nation was stunned following the murders. We have repeatedly demanded justice for the killings. We only saw the trial over the killings when Sheikh Hasina assumed office,” he said.
Replying to a question, Asaduzzaman said, “The Foreign Ministry is working in this regard as we do not have any extradition treaty with the countries where the fugitive killers have taken shelter. We are maintaining contact with these countries regularly and we hope we will succeed in bringing them back.”
On November 3, 1975, four national leaders and heroes of the country’s Liberation War -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman -- were assassinated inside the Dhaka Central Jail.
Read more: Nation observing Jail Killing Day today
The four leaders played key roles in the Mujibnagar government that led the Liberation War in 1971 with Syed Nazrul Islam as the acting president, Tajuddin Ahmad as the prime minister, Mansur Ali as the finance minister and AHM Qamruzzaman as the home, relief and rehabilitation minister.
Home Minister to DRU: 'Media is completely independent now'
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday said the mass media is currently working completely independently as there is no control exercised over the media.
The Home Minister came up with the remark while addressing a function on DRU Best Reporting Award-2022 at Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Segunbagicha in the city organised by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Tuesday afternoon.
In his speech, the Home Minister said that as the number of daily newspapers has increased, the number of electronic media has also increased. Earlier, when writing news, there were various types of censorships, but now there is no such thing, he said.
"There is no control over the mass media. They are currently working completely independently," the Home Minister said.
The minister said that there are roaming journalists everywhere. "When something is happening, it is coming out through them immediately," he added.
"It is a challenging world, in which you are earning reputation. Today, those who excelled are being honoured. Thank you to all who have been awarded," Khan said.
The Home Minister called upon the journalists to contribute more, and to write "positive news" equally.
"You will work to advance the country," he added.
Read more: Militancy has no place in Bangladesh: Home Minister
The awards were given to 11 winners for 10 prizes in four categories based on the marks received from the jury board members.
Later, the invited guests along with the minister handed over the prizes to the winners. Rajeev Noor (Samakal) won the award in the liberation war category. He received this award for his series reporting on Etihaser Chhera Pata.
Abu Zar Anshar Uddin Ahmed of Samakal won the first prize in the print media category, Md Ismail Ali of the Daily Share Biz got second prize, while Jameel Khan of Daily Star and Obaidullah Roni of Samakal jointly got the third prize in this category.
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Abu Zar Anshar Uddin Ahmed of Samakal won the first prize in the print media category, Md Ismail Ali of the Daily Share Biz got second prize, while Jameel Khan of Daily Star and Obaidullah Roni of Samakal jointly got the third prize in this category.
Among others, Somoy TV web editor Mahfuzur Rahman, publisher of Dainik Bangla Chowdhury Nafiz Sarafat, DRU President Nazrul Islam Mithu and general secretary Nurul Islam Hasib were also present.