'BNP, Jamaat Spend Tk32 Crore on US lobbyist'

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam has claimed that the BNP has hired lobbyists abroad by spending 3.75 million US dollars (Tk 32.25 lakh) on anti-government and anti-national propaganda.

State Minister Shahriar Alam made the remarks while talking to members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (January 18th) afternoon.

He said, "BNP-Jamaat has clearly hired lobbyists for the current government and anti-national propaganda and the government has the proof." They have so far paid $3.75 million to the lobbyist firm.

The state minister claimed that the government had appointed a PR firm in 2015 to protest against the BNP-Jamaat propaganda report. This organization is paid 25 thousand US dollars per month.

According to Shahriar Alam, BNP-Jamaat has signed seven agreements for the recruitment of foreign lobbyists. The BNP has made three agreements. The BNP has spent $3.75 million on these three agreements. The address of the BNP office has also been mentioned in the copy of the agreement. The address of the organization is not given in the copy of Jamaat's agreement. However, their names are in the copy of the agreement. An address in the United States is given there.

Besides, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has sent several letters through lobbyist firms to stop development aid in Bangladesh, the government has proof of that, said the state minister for foreign affairs.

Shahriar Alam said, "Copies of the agreements with which the BNP-Jamaat have entered into an agreement will be sent to the Governor of Bangladesh Bank." Copies of the agreement are being sent to verify whether the money they have sent abroad for the agreement is approved by Bangladesh Bank. At the same time, each political party has to submit its income and expenditure account to the Election Commission. The commission will also look into whether the BNP-Jamaat has given an account of this amount to the Election Commission.

"These agreements are approved by US law," he said. However, we urge the United States to look into the source of this agreement. Because this money may have something to do with militant financing. Everyone knows that there was a huge rise in militancy in the country during BNP-Jamaat. '

In 2013-14, the BNP-Jamaat started broadcasting 'false information' reports in the international media against the trial of war criminals. Is.

Shahriar Alam said that the writings of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Foreign Minister and current Foreign Minister have also been published in the international media established through this organization.

He said that some media outlets in the country have misrepresented this PR organization as a lobbyist firm. In fact, the government has not hired any lobbyist firm. The lobbyist firm has been recruited by BNP-Jamaat for propaganda.

Shahriar Alam said, "Earlier, the foreign minister did not mention the appointment of a lobbyist firm in his speech. His statement may be misinterpreted."

In response to a question, he said that there is no decision to appoint a lobbyist for the recent US sanctions against some Bangladeshi officials. The government wants to present accurate information in this regard through diplomatic activities.

Shahriar Alam said that a recommendation to cancel the passports of the propagandists sitting abroad has been raised in the meeting of the advisory committee on maintaining law and order. However, no decision has been taken at the government level in this regard.