Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Friday said the government has evidences that BNP hired lobbyists abroad to work against the country.
“They signed agreement with the lobbyist firm using the address of its Nayapaltan office. The foreign minister has already taken initiative to inform different government departments and offices to investigate how the money was transferred there from Bangladesh,” he said.
Hasan said this while replying to a question from journalists after a view-exchange meeting with the leaders of Chittagong University Journalists Association in Chattogram Circuit House auditorium, said a press release here in Dhaka.
Read:AL hires lobbyists with public money to hide misdeeds, alleges BNP
About the letter written to the United Nations against Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), he said, “Of the 12 human rights organisations that wrote a letter to exclude RAB from UN peacekeeping missions, all but two or three are just name-only ones. We’ve not heard their names before.”
Hasan, also a joint general secretary of ruling Awami League, said this letter was given on November 7 last year. “Why did it come to the media suddenly after more than two months? There is a political motive behind it,” he said.
He said BNP has been conspiring against Bangladesh continuously. The BNP has been conspiring against the country by hiring lobbyist firms, investing their illicit money in lobbyist firms, tarnishing the image of the country, disrupting export trade, and hindering the prosperity of the country, he said.
"In fact, the BNP has no confidence in the people. So, they have chosen the path of conspiracy and hiring lobbyist firms abroad is one of the main tools of that conspiracy," he said.
He said now a question has come here that whether a political party, which hatches such conspiracy against the country, should get rights to do politics in the country.
Read: Info on engaging lobbyists by BNP shared with EC, BB
About the TIB statement over the proposed EC formation law, the minister said TIB works on corruption, but it (the proposed law) has no relation with corruption.
“By making this statement on a political issue, TIB has proved that it works for political purposes. There is a similarity between TIB’s statement and BNP’s statements. It has proved that TIB often acts as a political tool. I have been surprised, seeing the statement of TIB on a political issue,” he said.
Hasan said most of the political parties that participated in talks with the President suggested enactment of a law over the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. “In this context, the government has taken initiative to enact a law. The entire issue is a political one,” he said.