Nobody knows whereabouts of Murad Hassan
The whereabouts of disgraced former state minister for information and broadcasting Murad Hassan, who is still an MP of ruling Awami League from Jamalpur-4 constituency, remains unknown as of Sunday morning.
No one could say where he is now, especially after the MP was reportedly barred by Canada’s border services agency from entering the country.
Murad Hassan Bangladesh for Canada in an Emirates flight around 1:20am on Thursday night.
Diplomatic sources said Murad could not enter the country as he failed to show documents required for travelling during this time of novel coronavirus pandemic. The sources could not confirm where he was heading next.
Canada-based Natun Desh and several other news portals reports said that Murad Hassan was returned from Toronto Pearson Airport. He was not allowed to enter the country especially following complaints filed by Bangladeshi Canadians.
Speaking with Prothom Alo, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada Khalilur Rahman on Saturday night said, “We don’t have any information on whether he (Murad Hassan) arrived Canada or not. We were informed about his visit when he was a state minister several months ago. Almost all the time foreign missions are informed beforehand about visits of MPs for protocol facilities. But none contacted the High Commission this time around for Murad Hassan’s visit to Canada.”
In response to a question on whether the immigration department of Canada barred the former state minister from entering the country, Khalilur Rahman said, “The High Commission is supposed to be informed if any problem regarding any Bangladesh citizen arises at the immigration. But none of the Canadian immigration authorities contacted us about this.”
News agency UNB reports: Having failed to enter Canada and the United Arab Emirates, disgraced former state minister for information and broadcasting Murad Hassan is reportedly coming back home on Sunday morning.
An Emirates Airlines flight carrying Murad was expected to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka around 8:20am, a source at the airport told the news agency on Saturday night.
A family member of the former state minister said Murad reached Dubai airport from Canada at around 10:30pm (Bangladesh time).
As he has no valid visa to enter Dubai, he may return home, his relative said, requesting not to be named.
Murad Hassan left the country for Canada in an Emirates flight around 1:20am on Thursday night.
According to Toronto-based Bangla news portal, thebengalitimes.com, Murad reached Toronto Pearson International Airport at around 1.31am (Canadian time) on Friday.
Canadian immigration officials questioned the former Bangladesh state minister about various allegations, including harassing, humiliating and torturing women, against him in Bangladesh.
They also showed him various videos, photos and news reports on him, and wanted to know his version of the reported incidents, the news portal said.
It said Murad was also asked about the reasons for leaving Bangladesh and coming over to Canada, but he failed to give any “satisfactory answer”.
Murad Hassan was then flown back to Dubai in an Emirates flight from the Canada airport.
Meanwhile, asked about filing of a case against Murad Hassan under the Digital Security Act (DSA), home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told newspersons at a programme in Dhaka on Saturday that the state is not aggrieved with him.
Addressing a programme of Nirapad Sarak Chai (We want safe roads) at the National Press Club, he, however, said if anyone is aggrieved with Murad, s/he has the right to file a case against him.
Earlier, on 7 December, Murad Hassan was forced to resign from the cabinet following the instructions of prime minister Sheikh Hasina for his extremely obnoxious and indecent remarks against women.
Murad had been under increasing criticism by different section of people for his disrespectful remarks against Zaima Rahman, the granddaughter of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, in an interview on social media. Several audios and videos containing indecent remarks by Murad Hassan also went viral on social media during the last few days.
Meanwhile, a two-year-old telephonic conversation of Murad Hassan with actor Mamnun Hasan Emon and actress Mahiya Mahi recently went viral on social media. In that audio clip, Murad made extremely obnoxious remarks about the actress, threatened her to pick up using different law enforcement and intelligence agencies and gave her an indecent proposal.
On 8 December, a writ was filed with the High Court challenging the legality of Murad Hassan’s MP post on the same ground. Supreme Court lawyer Yunus Ali Akand, who filed the petition with the apex court, also sought judicial investigation into the activities of Murad.
The HC bench of justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah is likely to hear the writ this week.
Murad was also relieved from the post of health and population affairs secretary of Jamalpur district unit Awami League for damaging the party’s image and for his involvement in anti-disciplinary activities.