Making things worse for sacked Posts and Telecommunications Minister Abdul Latif Siddique, a court here on Wednesday issued a warrant for his arrest in a case filed for hurting the religious sentiment of Muslims with his derogatory comments. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan passed the order as Latif Siddique failed to appear before his court today as per its previous order. On October 2, the court summoned Latif Siddique to appear before it today following a petition filed by Dhaka Bar Association senior lawyer Md Shah Alam. Two weeks after his derogatory comments, Latif Siddique was finally dropped from the cabinet on Sunday. Hours after his removal from the cabinet, Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) on Sunday expelled him from the party presidium for hurting the religious sentiment of Muslims and acting against the party constitution. At a views-exchange meeting with expatriates from Tangail in New York on September 28, Latif Siddique made disparaging remarks about hajj, one of the main pillars of Islam, and Tablig Jamaat and Prime Minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Hesaid: “During hajj, too much of manpower is wasted. Over 20 lakh people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. They’ve no work, no production and they only cause deduction.” Criticising Joy, he said, “Why do you often mention of Joy? Who is Joy Bhai? Joy is nobody in the government. He cannot make any decision.” Source : UNB, Dhaka.
