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Published : 07 Jul 2026, 02:50 PM
The government will raise the issue of "provocative remarks" made by Awami League leaders based in India with New Delhi at the state level, Prime Minister's Information Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman has said.
He said the government had previously spoken up about what these leaders were doing from India, and would continue to do so, since many of them faced court cases, arrest warrants or had already been convicted.
"Talking to them [Awami League leaders] is out of the question, we're actually supposed to get them handed over to us. We've been raising this at the state level regularly, and we'll keep doing so," he said at a weekly press briefing at the Department of Information in the Secretariat on Tuesday.
The advisor was also asked about social media speculation over reports linking several bodies recovered from the Turag River to leaders and activists of the Awami League and the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League.
Asked why the government had not clarified the issue, Zahed said several deaths had occurred in circumstances that were unexpected and should not have happened.
He said it was the government's responsibility to investigate whether anyone was involved, but referred to investigative reports by local and foreign organisations that, according to him, showed the victims had drowned while trying to flee.
At the end of last month, social media posts claimed that the bodies of seven leaders and activists of the Awami League and the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League had been found floating in the Turag River.
Police Headquarters later dismissed the reports as “baseless” and urged people not to be misled by what it described as “false propaganda”.
Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen later said the recovery of two bodies from the Turag River in Savar and Ashulia had no political connection.
Speaking about the Awami League, Zahed said he felt sorry for those who still supported the party or joined its rallies, but added that their lives were valuable because they were citizens of the country.
He urged them to obey the law.
The minister said the Awami League itself had not been banned, but its political activities remained prohibited.
He urged party members to wait until the investigation was completed, noting that both the home ministry and the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) had said the process was continuing.
If the court ultimately decided not to ban the party after hearing all sides, it would be able to resume its political activities, he said.
