US Embassy seeks consular access regarding Mian Arefi

The US Embassy in Dhaka has sought consular access regarding Mian Zahidul Islam Arefi, who claimed to be an “advisor to US president Joe Biden.”

State minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Monday said the government will take steps as per the law.

As per the Vienna Convention, a detained foreign national must be informed of his right to communicate with consular officials.  Consular officers shall have the right to visit a national of the sending state who is in prison, custody or detention, to converse and correspond with him and to arrange for his legal representation.

Mian Zahidul Islam Arefi, who claimed to be an “advisor to US president Joe Biden,” has told DB officials that he “only followed instructions he received at the BNP office.”

A video circulating on social media shows Arefi talking to officials of the police’s detective branch (DB).

Earlier, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said BNP often plays victim to misguide diplomatic missions and their foreign friends in order to gain sympathy.

“This time, all of a sudden, we saw a so-called ‘advisor to US president Joe Biden’ speaking to the press at the BNP party office flanked by senior BNP leaders. Later, it was revealed that he is an imposter and he admitted that the BNP leaders instigated him to misguide people,” the foreign minister told diplomats at a briefing on Monday.