No refuge for Rohingyas: Ashraf

Bangladesh cannot open its border for religious extremists and rapists in the name of giving shelter to Rohingya refugees, said LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam on Wednesday.

The sectarian violence in Myanmar has occurred centering the rape of a woman and if the law enforcement agencies there would have taken appropriate measures the present situation might not arise, he said.

Mentioning that Bangladesh is a friend of peaceful people, the government and the ruling Awami League spokesperson said, “We can’t be friends of terrorists or rapists. So those who raped an innocent woman in Myanmar can’t be friends of Bangladesh.”

Addressing the special extended meeting of Dhaka City AL at Mohanagar Natya Mancha, Ashraf, also the general secretary of the party, alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami had been instigating the sectarian clashes in Myanmar.

“They [Jamaat] have chosen Myanmar as part of their plan to destabilise the international politics aiming to save the war criminals,” he claimed adding, “Jamaat has activities in many places like a multinational company.”

The minister said Bangladesh was a safe haven for the criminals and extremists like Ulfa, Rohingyas, Taliban and al-Qaeda during the past BNP-Jamaat coalition rule. There were no terrorist organisations in the world that did not have any network in Bangladesh during the coalition regime, he added.

AL leaders Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Ahmed Hossain, Qamrul Islam, among others, spoke at the meeting.