Ishraque Hossain has announced his resignation as the State Minister for Liberation War Affairs.
Ishraque, the BNP MP of Dhaka-6 constituency, announced the decision at the Jatiya Press Club on Monday afternoon, two days after a video showing him brandishing firearms during an anti-drug drive went viral on social media.
A video of the drive was posted on Ishraque Hossain’s official Facebook page on Saturday afternoon that sparked controversy across the country.
The video shows him getting out of a vehicle with a loudspeaker and a pistol and then chasing a group of people during an anti-drug drive near the railway line in the capital’s Gandaria area.
At one point, he was seen pointing the weapon towards some people while shouting, “Hey, stop, stop.”
Another man in plainclothes was also seen chasing people with a weapon in his hand.
In another Facebook post on Saturday evening, Ishraque pledged to continue the drives until Dhaka-6 constituency is made free of drugs.
In a statement on Sunday he said he briefly raised his licensed firearm in “self-defence” during an anti-drug drive in the capital’s Gendaria area on Saturday after receiving warnings of possible “security threats”.
Ishraque said he, along with his security personnel, got out of their vehicles and raised the weapon briefly when a group of 30 to 35 people allegedly approached their convoy aggressively near a suspected drug den.
He claimed that law enforcement agencies and his own intelligence sources had warned him of possible security risks, including the possibility of drug traders firing at them from rooftops.
“The weapon was raised for a very short time in self-defence to protect lives and property amid fears of an imminent attack,” the state minister said, adding that it was put away as soon as the potential threat had passed.
Additional Police Commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam on Sunday said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will take necessary action after reviewing the viral video.
Ishraque won the 2026 general election as the candidate for Dhaka-6, bagging78,850 votes.
On February, 17, 2026, he took charge as State Minister for Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.