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Published : 18 Feb 2026, 12:09 AM
Stepping into the government as the newly minted state minister for sports, Aminul Haque has spoken out on a range of pressing issues plaguing Bangladesh’s sports, with the fate of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan taking centre stage.
Aminul, former national football captain, signalled an end to the spell of sporting exile for the two household names who have been adrift since the political tectonics shifted in August 2024.
Addressing a packed press gallery at the Parliament Complex on Tuesday, Aminul was resolute on the legal and political clouds hanging over the former captains.
“The matter of Shakib and Mashrafe… this is a state decision. I believe that, at the state level, we must act with great flexibility. Since they are legendary cricketers of Bangladesh, they deserve our respect.
“But on the cases that have been filed, through state-level decisions, we want them to be able to return to Bangladesh quickly.”
Beyond the turf, Aminul faces a diplomatic quagmire. Bangladesh’s recent absence from the T20 World Cup remains a raw wound following a fallout with India and the International Cricket Council (ICC) stemming from Mustafizur Rahman’s release from the IPL.
Aminul aims to mend the rift with India and the ICC through “cordial dialogue”.
“There is an issue in cricket -- you know that recently we did not go to play the World Cup, and that was due to a diplomatic policy. If we could have resolved this through diplomatic discussions, perhaps our team would have played in the World Cup.
“I want this to come to an end quickly.”
Aminul revealed he has already initiated talks with India’s deputy high commissioner to reset the regional sporting climate.
“...we want to resolve this problem quickly through dialogue, because we want friendly relations with all our neighbouring countries -- not just in sports, but across all sectors.”
