Salahuddin Ahmed (born 30 June 1962)[1] is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician who served as the state minister of communication and a member of parliament from Cox's Bazar-1 constituency during 1996–2006.[2] He was the spokesperson of the party. In 2015, he allegedly enforced disappeared in Dhaka and reappeared two months later in Shillong, India under Indian police custody.[3] In 2018, he was acquitted by the Indian court.[4] Later on 28 February 2023, he was also acquitted by the appellate court.[5]
Salahuddin Ahmed | |
|---|---|
সালাহউদ্দিন আহমেদ | |
| Minister of State for Communications | |
| In office 10 October 2001 – 29 October 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Khaleda Zia |
| Preceded by | AKM Amanul Islam Chowdhury |
| Succeeded by | Sultana Kamal |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 14 July 1996 – 29 October 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Enamul Haq Manju |
| Succeeded by | Hasina Ahmed |
| Constituency | Cox's Bazar-1 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 June 1962 Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh |
| Political party | Bangladesh Nationalist Party |
| Spouse | Hasina Ahmed |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Politician |
Career
editAhmed served as the assistant private secretary to the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia when BNP came to power in 1991.[1] He was later appointed as the state minister of communication during 2001–2006 in the Second Khaleda Cabinet.[6]
In January 2008, Ahmed was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment for taking Tk 1 crore in bribe from Mir Zahir Hossain, owner of construction firm Mir Akter Hossain Ltd. According to the charge, the bribe was taken in February 2005.[7]
Ahmed served as the Joint General Secretary of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In January 2015, he was appointed spokesperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party by Khaleda Zia after Rizvi Ahmed, the previous spokesperson, was arrested by Bangladesh Police.[8]
Imprisonment
editIn March 2015, Ahmed disappeared in Uttara, Dhaka. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed he had been arrested by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh and according to witness by Rapid Action Battalion. He reappeared two months later in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. He was arrested by the Indian Police and charged under the Foreigners Act for entering India illegally.[8][9] On 3 June 2015, he was charged by Shillong Police and was interned in North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences where he was receiving treatment.[10] More than 3 years later, in October 2018, East Khashi Hill District and Sessions Judge's Court in Meghalaya, India acquitted him over the trespassing case.[1][4][11] While in the Indian jail, Bangladesh Nationalist Party appointed him as a member of its standing committee.[1] Salahuddin Ahmed was acquitted and granted permission to return home by the appellate court in Shillong on 28 February 2023.[5]
Controversy
editOn 28 August 2024, Salahuddin arrived in Cox's Bazar using a vehicle owned by the S Alam Group, a company under scrutiny for corruption. Videos shared on social media by BNP activists showed Salahuddin riding in a Mitsubishi station wagon registered under S Alam Power Plant, a subsidiary of the group, since 2010. The S Alam Group, led by Chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam, has been embroiled in controversy, with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was launching an investigation into allegations that Saiful Alam and his associates laundered approximately BDT 1.13 trillion abroad.[12]
Personal life
editAhmed is married to Hasina Ahmed,[6] with two sons and two daughters.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Trespassing Charges: Salahuddin cleared". The Daily Star. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- ^ "Missing Bangladesh opposition spokesman surfaces in India". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "Bangladesh Is Vanishing The Opposition". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Shillong court acquits BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed of trespass charges". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ a b "BNP leader Salahuddin acquitted, gets permission to return home". Star Digital Report. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ a b "PM lobbied over Dhaka disappearance". BBC News. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "Ex-state minister Salahuddin jailed for 7 years". The Daily Star. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ a b Rashid, Muktadir; Bergman, David. "Anatomy of a Disappearance, and a Reappearance - The Wire". thewire.in. The Wire. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "BNP leader Salahuddin says he was kidnapped from Uttara". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "Charge framed against Salahuddin". The Daily Star. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "I am eager to go back to Bangladesh, says BNP leader Salahuddin". 29 September 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "এস আলমের গাড়িতে এলাকায় গিয়ে সংবর্ধনা নিলেন বিএনপি নেতা সালাহউদ্দিন". Prothomalo (in Bengali). 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.