Former state minister Sohel Taj barred from leaving Dhaka airport

He has returned home after waiting for half an hour at the airport

Former state minister for home affairs Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj, has been stopped at Shahjalal International Airport while attempting to travel to the United States.

He was scheduled to fly on Wednesday afternoon, but immigration authorities prevented his departure, a close associate of Sohel told bdnews24.com.

Speaking to bdnews24.com on Friday night, the associate said: “When Sohel bhai went to the airport to travel to the US, the immigration police stopped him. After waiting for about half an hour, he returned home.”

Asked about the matter, Golam Rasul, additional IGP and head of the Special Branch, told bdnews24.com that restrictions on Sohel Taj’s travel abroad had been imposed by the independent inquiry commission formed over the BDR mutiny.

Son of Bangladesh’s first prime minister Tajuddin Ahmad, Sohel Taj was elected to parliament from Gazipur-4 (Kapasia) on an Awami League ticket in 2001.

He was re-elected from the same constituency in 2008 and appointed state minister for home affairs in the cabinet formed on Jan 6, 2009, under Awami League’s leadership.

However, he resigned from the cabinet on May 31 the same year citing “personal reasons”. On Apr 23, 2012, he also stepped down as a member of parliament, withdrawing entirely from politics thereafter.