Jamaat demands proof for DNCC administrator’s 700 auto-rickshaw claim

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded evidence or a public retraction from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton over his claim that a political party’s secretary-general owns 700 auto-rickshaws.

In a statement issued today (9 October), Jamaat Assistant Secretary-General and Central Publicity and Media Secretary Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair condemned the remarks, describing them as irresponsible and unfounded.

Identifying the political leader as Jamaat Secretary-General and former lawmaker Mia Golam Porwar, Zubair said the allegation had no credible basis.

“We strongly condemn and protest against the dissemination of such imaginary, untrue, baseless and fabricated information,” he said.

Zubair said the public expected senior government officials to make responsible, factual and measured statements.

He argued that the DNCC administrator should have presented specific and reliable evidence before making a serious allegation about a senior political leader’s personal ownership of 700 auto-rickshaws.

Making such claims without verifiable evidence, he said, fell short of the standards expected of a public official.

Zubair urged Milton to make any evidence supporting his statement publicly available.

“If he fails to present evidence, we demand that he withdraw his statement and publicly express regret,” he said.

Zubair said issues surrounding auto-rickshaw operations, traffic congestion, road discipline and drivers’ livelihoods should be addressed based on facts and public interest.

Political differences over these matters, he added, should be settled through evidence, reasoned arguments and practical solutions rather than unsubstantiated allegations against individual leaders.