New York, September 23 (The Daily Times of Bagladesh) – As Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus touched down in New York on Monday [local time] to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, trouble was already brewing in the city.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP acting chairman’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, Jamaat leader Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, NCP Member Secretary Akhter Hossain, and NCP Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara are members of CA’s entourage.
Local Awami League leaders and activists have been itching to give the delegation a piece of their mind. They have been bringing out rallies, engaging in scuffles with their BNP counterparts, and spreading vitriol against these visitors on social media for the past few days.
A group of Awami league activists were holding positions outside the JFK International Airport, waiting for CA Yunus to come out of the gates, so that they could pelt him with eggs. But the chief adviser had a different idea.
He left the airport from another gateway and left his companions at the mercy of demonstrators. From the moment Fakhrul, Akhter, Tasnim and other leaders exited the airport, they were surrounded by AL activists, who began chanting slogans.
Members of the Chief Adviser’s press wing and several BNP workers tried to provide security and safe escort of the delegation. At that time, a few AL activists and members of its youth wing hurled eggs at Akhter Hossain.
They also directed obscene abuse at Tasnim Jara. In protest, Akhter shouted “Inquilab Zindabad!” Later, with police assistance, the group left the airport area by cars.
Multiple video footage shows these leaders walking towards waiting cars without proper security details, a situation former diplomats say could have been avoided with standard precautionary measures.
Situation could’ve been avoided’
Former diplomats say the whole debacle could have been avoided completely with adequate security detail and effective precautionary measures.
One former diplomat, preferring anonymity, noted, “There are established protocols to prevent such incidents. When protesters gather outside an airport, hotel, or any venue, dignitaries usually take an alternative route to reach their vehicles.
“Ïf no alternative is available, they wait inside until it is safe to leave.”
Another diplomat added that in similar situations, umbrellas or large cloths are sometimes used to shield dignitaries from objects hurled at them. He described it as “inappropriate” to allow the delegation to walk through areas where protesters were waiting.
Incident was undesirable’
In a video message, the NCP leader said he was not at all afraid of “Sheikh Hasina’s bullets” and that “broken eggs mean nothing to him,” describing the Awami League as an inherently terrorist organisation.
New York police later detained Jubo League leader Mizanur Rahman for throwing eggs at Akhter Hossain. He was taken into custody on Monday night (New York time) in front of Nabanna Restaurant in Jackson Heights.
While addressing reporters at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the chief adviser is staying during his visit, the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, described the incident as “undesirable.”
Several admin officials involved’
Nahid Islam, the convenor of National Citizen Party (NCP), on Tuesday alleged that despite ongoing attacks, conspiracies, and misdeeds by the Awami League, the government has failed to take appropriate action.
Nahid added, “When Information Adviser Mahfuj Alam was attacked, we had already stated that the leaders of the mass uprising were being targeted, and information has now come to light regarding the involvement of officials at various levels of the administration in this attack.
The security arrangements were incomplete, which led to a repeat of such incident.”
In a statement issued the same day, the NCP demanded the “immediate dismissal of the entire foreign service team, including the Bangladesh Consul General in New York,” following the harassment of its political leaders in the United States.
Islami Andolan condemns incident
Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Joint Secretary General and spokesperson, Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman, condemned the attack on NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain at the New York airport and criticised the overall planning and management of the CA’s trip to the United Nations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Maulana Ataur Rahman criticised the Chief Adviser for bringing political leaders from three parties to the UN General Assembly and attempting to forecast the results of the upcoming election prematurely, prior to the actual polling.
A reprehensible act
In an official statement issued on Tuesday, the interim government alleged that the attack was carried out by “affiliates and supporters of ousted autocrat Sheikh Hasina,” branding the act as “reprehensible” and a “painful reminder of the toxic and violent political culture” that it claims had become normalised under the previous regime.
The government attributed the lapse of security to a visa complication at the airport. However, the question remains, could the interim government have done more to prevent such a grievous lack of security?
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