Ashraf wary of WikiLeaks files

AL spokesman dismisses charges that they are trying to split BNP by making up stories.

Dhaka, Sep 16 (bdnews24.com)—The ruling Awami League is 'suspicious' about the source of classified US embassy cables published by WikiLeaks and says it will not make any official comment on it.

"We don't want to give any statement on the issue. These are the reports of intelligence agencies. Our party cannot comment on them if no-one takes their responsibility," party general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said on Friday.

He said the ruling party could make a comment if it could be confirmed about the sources. "We do not even know whether those were of the US State Department."

He was speaking to journalists after attending the joint meeting of central working committee and the advisory council. The meeting chaired by party president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina was held at her official residence Ganabhaban.

Quoting an editorial of a British daily, Ashraf, also the LGRD minister, said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was disclosing the cables to carry out expenses of his case filed over rape charges.

The anti-secrecy website touched off an uproar worldwide by leaking sensitive information sent by US embassies across the globe to Washington last year. More than 2,000 of these cables were sent from Bangladesh.

Assange came under huge pressure from Washington and his allies. He was arrested in Britain in July last year after Swedish prosecutors had issued an arrest warrant for the 39-year-old Australian, who is accused of sexual misconduct with two women.

Early this month WikiLeaks published nearly 100,000 cables in second instalment. The media in Bangladesh, subsequently, ran reports on the accounts and comments of the top US embassy officials in Dhaka on Awami League and BNP, prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the 2007-8 military-run caretaker government.

Opposition BNP, too, had questioned authenticity of the cables after newspapers, both online and print, carried reports on the alleged corruption of Khaleda's elder son Tarique Rahman and other top leaders, based on the cables. BNP spokesman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said WikiLeaks 'stories' were being made up by the ruling party to split the BNP.

Ashraf dimissed the allegation and said, "Awami League never break other parties up, we do not believe in it.

"It was Ziaur Rahman who split NAP [Bhasani], Muslim League and UPP to form his party [BNP]. He also failed in his efforts to divide the Awami League."

He also alleged that the military dictators had been involved in such move.

"We want BNP to be strengthened as a party. It will be good for us too."

HASINA TO FLY INDIA

Ashraf also said after her upcoming visit to the US to attend the UN General Assembly, prime minister Sheikh Hasina would fly to India to discuss the unresolved issues following an invitation by her counterpart, Manmohan Singh.

About the allegations that much before Manmohan's visit Bangladesh and India had talks only at the advisor-level, he said, "There were talks with the Indian politicians too. Journalists did not see those."

The party spokesman said that the next central working committee meeting would sit after Hasina returns from the US, when schedules of grassroots-level councils would be declared and "those would be conducted in the next one year".

In her absence, he said, presidium member and deputy leader of parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury would stand in for Hasina.

Quoting a meeting decision, he asked all party leaders to discuss any problem involving the party at the internal forum, apparently pointing at advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta, who said the Teesta deal was not signed as the prime minister's advisors had not dealt with the matter 'politically'.

SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE

But advisory council member Kazi Akram Hossain took a dig at Ashraf over the remark.

"We do not find anyone to counter the criticisms the BNP dish out (at the party). The general secretary is hardly seen and then he vanishes," said a council member, asking not to be named, as he was not authorised to speak to media.

"I speak whenever need be," Ashraf replied promptly, and won the party president's consent, "Better if [we] speak less," Hasina added, according to the member.

MUHITH UNDER FIRE

Finance minister A M A Muhith, also an advisory council member, was criticised for his recent comments on that the share market was a business of the fraud and it was better if they leave.

Central executive council member Abdur Rahman suggested that the government should keep an eye on the stock market since people are talking everywhere about it. "But what the finance minister said is not correct. There are genuine investors in the share market too.

"His remarks sometimes affect the market. So better if he speaks less," the member said quoting Rahman.

Muhith replied that he had used that word only once.

Later a senior minister intervened and urged all to be guarded with their words about the market.

The finance minister made the comment in the wake of steep fall in the market recently when the small investors demonstrated and demanded the resignation of Muhith and the Bangladesh Bank governor.

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