Dr Enayetullah Abbasi Comments on Ishraq’s Resignation

Mufti Dr Enayetullah Abbasi, an Islamic speaker, researcher and Pir of Jainpuri Darbar Sharif, has commented on former State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain’s recent resignation and his operation against drug dealers while carrying a pistol.

Expressing regret over the incident, Mr. Abbasi said, “I feel very sad about Ishraq. Among countless corrupt people, there are also some good people. But when good people try to do good work, they find no way forward.”

He added, “He declared war against drugs, and that was certainly right. Raising a pistol was the wrong method, but his intention was noble. The intention was right, but the method was wrong.” He also said the government did not want to take responsibility for the matter.

Expressing anger over the role of the media, Mr. Abbasi said, “Journalists in Bangladesh are the worst.” He claimed that a young man serving as a state minister had tried to break up a drug syndicate with the help of his team, but journalists had failed to highlight this positive aspect. Instead, he said, they focused on the incident of Mr. Ishraq running around with a pistol.

He further accused some journalists of practising yellow journalism and alleged that they were funded by foreign intelligence agencies and did not want Bangladesh to prosper. He called on the nation to show a “red card” to those involved in yellow journalism.

Mr. Abbasi said the media could have played a positive role in the situation. “If journalists had reported the positive aspects, the government would never have been put in a difficult position,” he said, adding that the government also had to answer to foreign countries.

He regretted that Mr. Ishraq had tried to do something good but had lost his way in the process. Highlighting the limitations of the police and the need for public involvement in tackling drug abuse, Mr. Abbasi said, “Will anyone step forward against drugs now? There are 180 million people, and there are drug users in every household. There are only 100,000 to 150,000 police personnel. We cannot put all the responsibility on the police.” He added that the police alone could not protect densely populated Bangladesh from the drug problem and called on the public to come forward and help address the crisis.