Ishrak Hossain is going to make the final announcement of his resignation from the post of Minister of State for Liberation War Affairs. He informed that he will make this announcement facing journalists at the National Press Club at 2:00 PM today, Monday. Ishrak shared this information in a post on his verified Facebook page after 8:30 AM on Monday.
In his Facebook post, Ishrak wrote that he would make a final announcement regarding his resignation from the post of state minister. At the same time, he outlined his plans for future political and social activities after his resignation in the post.
Ishrak said that he has seen some people writing celebratory posts on Facebook. He also expressed the expectation that if the need for movement and struggle arises in the future, they will be inspired by nationalist ideals and return to the country from abroad to join the movement.
Regarding his role after resignation, Ishrak wrote that not as a member of parliament or a state minister, but as a BNP worker, he will work against drugs with a hundred times more enthusiasm. Along with strengthening the cleanliness campaign, he also announced plans to visit various districts to increase the organizational strength of Jatiyatabadi Projonmo Dal nationwide. In the final part of the post, Ishrak raised the slogans 'Not a minister, but drug eradication' and 'Drug eradication'.
Earlier on Sunday, multiple high-level government-related sources reported that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had directed Ishrak Hossain to resign from the cabinet. On that afternoon, after the cabinet meeting at the secretariat, the Prime Minister summoned him. It was known that the resignation directive was given there.
The issue of Ishrak's resignation came to the fore centering on the incident of displaying firearms during his anti-drug operation in the capital's Gandaria. Widespread discussion and criticism started after the video of the operation conducted on Saturday in the Doyaganj Guntighor railway gate area spread on social media. In the video, he was seen raising a firearm and giving orders. Several people accompanying him also had weapons.
After questions were raised about the incident, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police launched an investigation. Shafiqul Islam, the head of the Detective Branch of DMP, stated that the Deputy Commissioner of the Wari Division has been entrusted with the investigation. It is being examined whether any law was violated in the incident of weapon display. If evidence of law violation is found, action will be taken against the concerned individuals.
Meanwhile, following the incident, Ishrak claimed in his statement that he had gone there to participate in a social resistance program against drugs. According to his account, the program was undertaken based on a joint decision of the police, local political leaders, and social leaders.
With Ishrak's announcement at the National Press Club this afternoon, his final stance regarding his resignation is expected to become clear. At the same time, his announcement to remain active in anti-drug activities and party organizational work after leaving the responsibility of state minister is also a topic of discussion in the political arena.
