State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain has been instructed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to resign over his participation in an armed anti-drug operation in Dhaka, according to senior government sources, but the minister’s office has categorically denied that any such directive was issued. The conflicting accounts emerged on Sunday, a day after a video showing Ishraque brandishing a firearm during an anti-narcotics drive in Gendaria went viral, triggering criticism and questions about the conduct of a cabinet member. Multiple high-level government sources said the prime minister summoned Ishraque to the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon, following a cabinet meeting, and instructed him to step down.
However, in a statement issued later in the day, Ishraque’s press officer, Mahfuz Kabir Mukta, described reports that the state minister had resigned or been asked to resign as entirely false, baseless, fabricated, and politically motivated. No directive for his resignation has been issued by the higher echelons of the government, and the question of his resignation does not arise, the statement said. The conflicting claims could not be independently reconciled, and no official announcement confirming a resignation order had been provided in the material available at the time of reporting.
The controversy began on Saturday afternoon when Ishraque, also the MP for Dhaka-6, personally participated in an anti-drug operation near the Dayaganj Ghuntighar railway crossing, close to Gendaria railway station. A video uploaded to his Facebook page showed him stepping out of a vehicle with a pistol in his hand and shouting for suspects to be caught, while armed bodyguards accompanying him rushed towards several individuals. Several of those detained were heard protesting their innocence before being handed over to police, sparking questions about whether a minister should personally conduct an armed operation instead of directing law enforcement agencies.
Sources within the BNP and the government indicated that Ishraque’s conduct caused unease among senior officials, who questioned why he had not relied on the administration and police to carry out the operation. The controversy unfolded on the same day that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman made surprise visits to 13 locations across Dhaka to inspect cleanliness and public services. Sources interpreted the reported resignation directive as a possible attempt to reinforce accountability among members of the government.
In its statement, Ishraque’s office insisted that he remained engaged in his official responsibilities and defended his conduct, maintaining that he displayed a legally held firearm for self-defence. The minister’s office warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading false information and called on media outlets to withdraw reports of his resignation. Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into the incident, with Detective Branch chief Shafiqul Islam stating that the deputy commissioner of DMP’s Wari Division had been assigned to examine whether any laws had been violated under Clause 25 of the Home Ministry’s 2025 firearms licensing policy.
Why it matters
The reported resignation directive highlights government accountability concerns following a high-profile cabinet member's armed law enforcement intervention in Dhaka.