Ishraq Calls Resignation Reports Rumours: Says He Will Announce Any Decision at a Press Conference
Dismissing reports that he had been ordered to resign from the cabinet as rumours, State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain has said that if any decision from the Prime Minister is implemented in his case, it will be announced to the nation quickly through a press conference. He stated this position in a post on Facebook.
Ishraq Hossain said that any instruction from the Prime Minister to any member of the Council of Ministers, whether for resignation or anything else, is conventionally binding as soon as it is issued, or takes effect automatically.
In his words, there is no need to verify any such information through a third, fourth or even more distant person. In other words, he directly rejected the basis of the spreading reports about his resignation.
He further said that the moment any such decision concerning the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs or himself is implemented, the nation will be informed in detail through a press conference at the quickest possible time, Insha Allah.
Earlier, news was published that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had ordered State Minister Ishraq Hossain, who sparked controversy by joining an anti-drug drive carrying a weapon, to resign from the cabinet. After that report, Ishraq Hossain described the matter as a rumour.
The incident of joining an anti-drug drive with a weapon in hand was itself the source of the controversy around him. As resignation reports spread in continuation of that controversy, discussion began in political circles.
Ishraq Hossain's latest post is his formal response in that discussion. He has made clear that if there is any decision, it will not remain hidden; it will be placed directly before the nation.
His statement also reflected loyalty to the Prime Minister's authority. As a member of the Council of Ministers, he himself mentioned the convention that a Prime Minister's instruction takes effect automatically.
So for now, the resignation report is baseless in his words. However, the controversy over the drive and the resignation speculation together have kept the matter alive in political discussion.
It remains to be seen whether any formal statement comes from the government on this. According to Ishraq Hossain's promise, if any decision is implemented, its details will be known at a press conference.
Until then, the answer to whether he remains in office as state minister is found in the language of his post itself: no decision has been implemented, and if one is, he himself will announce it.
From the controversy over the anti-drug drive to the resignation rumours, discussion around Ishraq Hossain is not dying down. After his latest statement, attention will now be on the Prime Minister's Office or the Cabinet Division, to see whether any clear message comes from there.
