Drug lords are in parliament, Ershad says as deadly crackdown continues

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has questioned the ongoing crackdown on drugs as deaths in operations continue to rise.

“The drug lords are in parliament. Hang them through trial,” the prime minister’s special envoy told the government at an Iftar programme of the party in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He, however, did not name any of the ‘drug lords in parliament’.  

At least 37 suspects have been killed in alleged gunfights during anti-drug drives countrywide in less than a week, including nine on Wednesday, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared a ‘war on drugs’.

Human-rights groups have doubted the versions of the deaths provided by the law enforcers and demanded separate investigations.

The BNP fears the ruling Awami League will use the crackdown as a tool to suppress dissents before the election.

Ershad, a key ally of the Awami League, said, “You (government) can’t kill someone like this without trial. Every citizen has the constitutional right to justice. The world won’t accept it.”

He also recommended making death sentence the maximum penalty for drug trafficking and place related amendments to the narcotics control law in parliament’s next session.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Ershad’s wife Raushon Ershad, Jatiya Party Co-Chairman GM Quader, Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, and Presidium Members Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu were also present.