Asif Mahmud returns from Umrah, calls govt’s stance on Mecca pact positive

National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain views the Bangladesh government’s interest in joining the Mecca pact positively.

However, he said Bangladesh must maintain its national interests, strategic independence and balance in international relations. Bangladesh must keep the door open to maintaining relations with everyone before entering into any kind of commercial or military agreement.

Asif Mahmud returned to Bangladesh on Monday morning after performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia. He made these remarks while speaking to journalists at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

Alongside serving as the NCP spokesperson, Asif Mahmud is also the head of the party’s subcommittee on international relations and diaspora affairs.

Asif Mahmud said Bangladesh’s foreign policy must be such that strengthening relations with one particular side does not harm Bangladesh’s interests in its relations with any other country or region.

Expressing concern over the country’s ongoing oil, gas and electricity situation, Asif Mahmud said that even after paying excessive prices and various fictitious bills, citizens are not receiving adequate gas and electricity. As a result, the situation in the country is becoming as critical as it was before 2005.

Regarding irregularities in the overseas labour market and the abnormal rise in airfares, Asif Mahmud said that during the interim government’s tenure, airfares to Saudi Arabia had been brought down to around US$350, or approximately Tk 40,000.

At present, due to manipulation by syndicates, the same ticket costs Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000, and even as much as Tk 80,000. Syndicates and extortion have once again become active in various sectors of the country. As a result, the cost of living for general people is rising abnormally, he said.

Referring to Malaysia’s labour market, the NCP leader said Bangladeshi workers have to spend as much as Tk 800,000 to go to Malaysia, compared with workers from other countries, which is in no way a level playing field or a fair situation.pact

Effective measures must be taken to reduce the cost of sending migrant workers abroad and to stop the dominance of middlemen and syndicates in the labour market, he added.

Regarding the announced long march by the 11-party alliance, Asif Mahmud said, "Through the long march, we primarily want to highlight the sufferings of the people. This is not only part of our commitment to reforms, but also a protest against the current gas and electricity crisis and the economic hardship."