Nahid says NCP has no ties to advisors Asif Mahmud, Mahfuj

“If they want to enter politics or contest elections, they should step away from the government and make that decision," he says

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam says his former interim government colleagues Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and Mahfuj Alam have no affiliation with the student-led party.

The call for the resignation of the two advisors has intensified in recent days amid protests by supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, who are demanding that he be sworn in as mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.

Several BNP leaders have echoed the demand, including Ishraque himself.

Responding to calls for the resignation of the two student advisors, Nahid said: “Those two student advisers have no affiliation with the NCP. Like me, they joined the government as representatives of the mass uprising at the time.”

After the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5 last year in the face of a mass uprising, student leaders Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud were appointed as advisors to the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

Nahid later stepped down from his advisory role on Feb 25 to take charge of the NCP. He had been serving as an advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as well as the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

Asif Mahmud currently serves as the advisor for youth and sports and for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Mahfuj, who replaced Nahid in the information ministry, is also serving as an advisor.

Nahid said it is up to the two advisers to decide whether they want to enter politics or not.

“If they want to enter politics or contest elections, they should step away from the government and make that decision. Associating them with the NCP is a form of misinformation and an attempt to discredit them,” he said.

“They joined the government as representatives of the uprising to ensure justice for the martyrs and the injured, and to implement reforms. So, when or whether they leave the government is entirely up to them.”

Previously, the Gono Odhikar Parishad had also demanded the resignation of the two advisors.