Al Jazeera, a Doha-based international news channel, has recently accused that the Bangladesh Army chief, General Aziz Ahmed, of providing illegal supports to his brothers, convicted and fugitive, to establish and run businesses abroad, that too, with the tacit approval of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Army, the home affairs minister and the ruling Awami League have, however, rejected the Al Jazeera report outright and condemned it as politically motivated 鈥榮mear campaign鈥�.
Besides, the foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen, said on Wednesday that the government was considering legal actions against Al Jazeera 鈥榝or spreading misinformation鈥� involving prime minister Sheikh Hasina. 鈥榃e will try to go for legal actions,鈥� he told journalists at his office. 鈥榃e are looking into how to do it.鈥�
The Al Jazeera report, styled 鈥楢ll the prime minister鈥檚 men鈥� aired on February 1, alleged that General Aziz stays in contact with both his brothers Haris Ahmed, 鈥榳ho is still on the country鈥檚 list of most wanted criminals鈥�, now living in Budapest in Hungary, 鈥榰sing the assumed identity as Mohammad Hasan鈥�, and Anis Ahmed, 鈥榣iving in Kuala Lumpur, where he escaped to after his murder conviction was upheld in 2007鈥�.
The Al Jazeera report said, 鈥榠n March 2019, Haris and Anis visited Dhaka for the wedding of Aziz鈥檚 son, where the two fugitives partied alongside Bangladesh鈥檚 president Abdul Hamid and foreign dignitaries during an opulent ceremony.鈥� In this regard, Al Jazeera has released some video clips, which the Inter-Services Public Relations department of the Bangladesh forces has rejected by saying that 鈥榯he video is prepared putting together clips of different official, social and private events using technology.鈥櫬犅犅犅�
Referring to 鈥榓 series of covered recordings鈥�, the Al Jazeera report claimed that the 鈥楢hmed clan continued to make money in Bangladesh by selling positions in the national and Dhaka police forces in collusion with senior officers鈥� and that 鈥榯he scheme also involves kickbacks to at least one senior government minister鈥�.
The report also claimed Haris to have been quoted as saying, 鈥楨ven the prime minister has said: 鈥淚f Haris wants to do something, let him do it. We will help鈥�, for 鈥楬aris and Anis were Hasina鈥檚 bodyguards when her life was threatened during the time when she was an opposition politician鈥� and 鈥榞renades were thrown in鈥� her house.
The Al Jazeera report, along with its video clips and photographs, has gone viral in the social media outlets.
However, the government, the Bangladesh Army and the ruling Awami League have 鈥榬ejected鈥� the Al Jazeera report outright and 鈥榗ondemned鈥� it as 鈥榰nethical鈥� and found it to be 鈥榮mear campaign鈥� against the government, which is nothing but 鈥榓n attempt by the vested group to break the harmony among different government organs with a view to obstructing the growth and development of the country鈥�.
The prime minister said on Tuesday, without making any direct reference to the Al Jazeera report, that Bangladesh 鈥榳ould continue its advancement [鈥 defying all conspiracies at home and abroad.鈥�
Reacting to Al Jazeera report, Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League and Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said on Wednesday it was a dirty manifestation of propaganda against the government of Sheikh Hasina. 鈥楾his report is part of London-based propaganda having no base,鈥� said Quader in a virtual briefing.
The Home minister, Asaduzzman Khan, while speaking at a city event on Wednesday said that 鈥楢l Jazeera report is a part of anti-Bangladesh campaign鈥� while 鈥榠t does not maintain ethics of journalism鈥� and therefore 鈥榠t is yellow journalism.鈥�
Earlier, on Monday, a foreign ministry press release said that the Al Jazeera鈥檚 鈥榬eport is nothing more than a misleading series of innuendos and insinuations in what is apparently a politically motivated smear campaign鈥�. The release also said that 鈥榯he Bangladesh Government rejects this desperate 鈥渟mear campaign鈥� instigated by extremists and their allies, working from London and elsewhere, and regrets that Al Jazeera has allowed itself to become an instrument for their malicious political designs aimed at destabilizing the secular democratic Government of Bangladesh.鈥櫬犅�
Meanwhile, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate said in a 鈥榬ejoinder鈥� to the Al Jazeera report on Tuesday that 鈥榯he Bangladesh Army Headquarters views the report as an attempt by the vested group to break the harmony among different government organs with a view to obstructing the growth and development of the country鈥�.聽
The ISPR release also said that the 鈥楤angladesh Army is the most disciplined under the present Chain of Command and loyal to the constitution and the Government. Bangladesh Army had always been and will remain respectful to the Government of Bangladesh and contribute in the nation building efforts of our beloved motherland鈥�.
The opposition parties, however, have not yet made any comment on the subject.