PANCHAGARH — A.F.M. Khalid Hossain, the interim government’s religious affairs adviser, said his 15 months in office have produced considerable success but that 15 years of accumulated disorder cannot be cleared in 15 months. Even so, he said, he has been able to establish a transparent government administration.
Hossain made the remarks Friday evening, Oct. 31, as chief guest at a Shane Risalat conference at the Panchagarh Darul Ulum Madinatul Islam Madrasa ground in the Jalashi area of Panchagarh, organized by the district’s Tawhidi Janata.
He said the government is 15 months old and has made several changes, including in Hajj management. A powerful committee has been formed to investigate corruption and irregularities in the construction of model mosques, he said. An inquiry committee headed by a former justice was set up to examine irregularities at the Islamic Foundation, and that committee submitted its report a day earlier. Legal action will be taken based on its findings, he said.
The adviser said the ministry has returned 39 crore taka in Hajj money that agencies had left in Saudi Arabia. “There is no scope for corruption in my ministry. I am not involved in corruption, and I am vocal about keeping my officers free from corruption as well,” he said.
The event was chaired by the conference organizing committee president, Maulana Abdul Hannan. Those present included Hafez Maulana Mahmudul Alam; Iqbal Hossain, district amir of the Jamaat-e-Islami; secretary Maulana Delwar Hossain; Abdul Hai, president of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh; vice president Qari Muhammad Abdullah; general secretary Syed Sultan Mahmud; and Hafez Mir Morshed Tuhin, president of the Khilafat Majlis, among others.
Earlier, Hossain was welcomed with a crest and a bouquet of flowers. Local clerics later handed him a memorandum of 12 demands on behalf of Panchagarh’s Tawhidi Janata.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report