President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has accepted the resignation of State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain. The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification regarding the matter on Tuesday. According to the notification, his resignation has been effective since Monday.
Earlier on Monday afternoon, Ishraque announced his resignation from the post of state minister during a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital. Several hundred leaders and activists were present with him at the time. Ishraque, the son of former undivided Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, made this decision amid controversy surrounding a video of him participating in an anti-narcotics drive with a firearm.
During the press conference, Ishraque said he made the decision to resign considering that the BNP or the government should not face an embarrassing situation and the prime minister's work should not be overshadowed. He stated that even though he will no longer be in the responsibility of a state minister, he will continue working to solve various problems of public life, including the eradication of drugs.
Earlier on Saturday, Ishraque published several videos of an anti-narcotics drive in Gendaria on his verified Facebook page. In one of these videos, he was seen participating in an operation with a firearm in an area next to the railway tracks. Another person with him also had a firearm. In another video, several people were seen being handcuffed and taken away with police members.
After the videos spread, questions arose as to whether an elected representative could conduct such an anti-narcotics drive with a weapon in hand. The incident also sparked discussions and criticisms in the political arena. In this context, the matter of Ishraque's resignation came to the forefront.
As a result of Ishraque Hossain's resignation, the number of members in the government's cabinet now stands at 50. Among them, including the prime minister, the number of full ministers is 27 and there are 23 state ministers.
