UNB, Dhaka :
Awami League General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam on Thursday said the term “forced disappearance” is being wrongly used for missing persons.
“There is no word like forced disappearance rather it should be missing. Many people go missing in Bangladesh every day…the word forced disappearance was not used in the past'” he said replying to a query of a journalist at the Ganobhaban after the Awami League Parliamentary Board (ALPB) meeting yesterday evening.
He said that people went missing across the world even a Malaysian flight remained missing for so many days.
“People also went missing in Bangladesh and they’re traced. Bangladesh is not an exceptional case where crimes occur, investigations are done into the crimes and the criminals are also nabbed and verdicts of the courts are executed'” he added.
When asked about the recent seven-murder case in Narayanganj, the AL General Secretary said that the issue is sub-judice.”I’m a minister and also the general secretary of Awami League. So, I can’t talk over the matter without information. If I had been a common man, then I could say many things in the talk shows. But, we’ve to take much more responsibility,”
Terming the missing and then killings of the seven people in Narayanganj very unfortunate, he said that the law enforcement agencies are investigating the matter and those who are responsible would be brought to book.” Exemplary punishment would be given to the culprits through trial which is being practiced in a civilized country,”
When his attention was sought about the alleged involvement of RAB in the the Narayanganj incident, Ashraf said that the accused would be known to all when the charge sheet is given. “The court will decide who are criminals or not. Until then we’ve to wait.”
