It is not fair to make US envoy controversial: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said had the US envoy or his fellow officials accepted the memorandum of ‘Mayer Kanna’, he would have remained above the controversy.

“On Martyred Intellectuals Day, the persons of ‘Mayer Dak’, who called the US envoy to visit their homes, made him (envoy) controversial. It is not fair to make the US ambassador controversial,” he said.

The minister added: “Being informed, about 50 people of ‘Mayer Kanna’, an organisation of the relatives of the victims who were killed without any trial or in Kangaroo court set up by Ziaur Rahman in 1977, went to the locality to give a memorandum where the envoy visited.

“But, the US envoy’s security personnel didn’t allow them to handover the memorandum. I think that he wouldn’t have been criticised if the US ambassador would have received their memorandum and listened to them.”

Hasan told reporters replying to a query after addressing a view-exchange meeting with the newly elected committee members of Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB) at the meeting room of his ministry at secretariat in the capital, reports Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

COAB President ABM Saiful Hossain and General Secretary Syed Mosharraf Ali, among others, addressed the meeting while vice presidents Rashedul Rahman Malik and Al Amin, organising secretary Mahmudul Mamun, joint general secretary Luthfur Rahman Nasim, treasurer Selim Sarwar, members Farid Uddin and Golam Mostafa were present.

Hasan said it was Martyred Intellectuals Day and on December 14 in 1971, the country’s illustrious sons were killed. Just two days before the country’s final victory for independence on that day 51 years back, the Pakistani occupation forces with the help of their local collaborators had killed the most prominent intellectuals of the country, he added.

He said there were different programmes marking the day. The countrymen and intellectuals pay homage at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorials while sometimes foreign ambassadors also pay their tribute there, he added.

He said it would be better if the US envoy would go to the memorial.

He said, “I don’t know who gave the advice to the US envoy to go to the home of the coordinator of ‘Mayer Dak’ on the Martyred Intellectuals Day. But, they didn’t give him the right advice. He also needed to look into the significance of the day. Besides, the Foreign Ministry doesn’t know that he will go there. The foreign minister also mentioned it.”

He said it is the organisation (Mayer Dak) of those persons who raised the allegation of missing. But the reality is that many of the missing people were found later while many of them were convicted accused of murder or drug smuggling cases, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.

“We, who are doing politics, stop our vehicles when people want to meet with us on the streets. We also have security personnel and we also have risk. Even I had faced death risks several times. But I also talked with people stopping my vehicles when they wanted to meet with me.”

Yesterday, they (Mayer Kanna) tried to handover the memorandum when the US envoy was leaving the house, the minister said.

He said, “The United States of America is our close development partner and the country has vast contribution to the path of our development. Our relationship is very warm and I think that the incident would not impact on our relation. But the persons, who did the work or tried to do, should refrain from it. I also want to request the US envoy to remain alert if anyone tries to give wrong advice to him.”

Replying to another query over the recent statements of BNP leaders, Hasan said the people of the country would not give helm to BNP to run the state. The countrymen would not respond the call of BNP who killed people through arson attacks, he added.

Earlier in the meeting, the minister congratulated to the newly elected COAB committee members.

He said the COAB members take steps of airing TV channels across the country through cable. The ministry is working to digitalize the cable network, he added.