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Local government, rural development, and cooperatives ministry adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain on Thursday offered a public apology over his father obtaining a contractor’s licence.

Asif Mahmud, also the adviser for the youth and sports ministry, came up with the apology through a post on his verified Facebook page in the wake of a heavy criticism on the social media over obtaining the licence by his father Md Billal Hossain, who is a school teacher.

He stated, ‘My father might not have understood the implications of the conflict of interest. Therefore, I am apologising on his behalf.’

The issue of obtaining the  licence by Asif Mahmud’s father came to the fore following a Facebook post by Zulkarnain Sayer, a journalist for the Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera.

Asif Mahmud explained that at about 9:00pm on Wednesday, a journalist contacted him to inquire about a contractor’s licence issued in his father’s name.

‘After talking to my father, I learnt that he had indeed obtained a licence issued by the office of the district executive engineer. I confirmed this to the journalist, who then made a post, and a news report followed.

‘As the issue sparked discussions and criticisms, I felt it necessary to offer an explanation,’ he stated.

He also said, ‘A local contractor advised my father, the headteacher of Akubpur Yakub Ali Bhuiyan Public High School, to use his [my father] identity to get a licence in a bid to obtain contracts easily.’

‘My father following the suggestion received a contractor’s licence from the district executive engineer’s office. Any citizen can obtain a licence for business purposes. However, as I am currently serving in a responsible position at the relevant ministry, my father engaging in such a business creates a conflict of interest,’ he wrote.

‘Once this was explained to my father, the licence was cancelled today (Thursday) upon his request,’ Asif Mahmud mentioned, adding that no application for any work was submitted using the licence.

In his Facebook post, Asif Mahmud also included a copy of the order that cancelled the licence.

Earlier, the adviser’s father had obtained the licence in the name of M/S Israt Enterprise from the local government engineering department in Cumilla.