Ishraque holds Nagar Bhaban meeting as 'Dhaka South mayor', says it’s people’s demand
The banner at the meeting referred to Ishraque as “Manoniyo Mayor” (Honourable Mayor), although he has not been officially sworn in
BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, who has not yet been officially sworn in as mayor, held a view-exchange meeting today (16 June) with waste management officials and staff of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), presenting himself as the Dhaka South "mayor."
The meeting, held inside Nagar Bhaban – currently under lockdown by Ishraque's supporters and a section of DSCC employees – featured a banner introducing Ishraque as "manoniyo mayor" (honourable mayor) and chief guest of the programme.
It was organised by Dhaka South's waste management department, according to employees present at the meeting.
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At the meeting, Ishraque said, "It is not about me – it is the people's demand. Whenever I'm invited to an event, organisers write mayor before my name. This is now established through the highest court of the country.
"Those questioning it should educate themselves further. The Election Commission has published a gazette clearly declaring me as the mayor of Dhaka South."
Following the meeting, Ishraque addressed a press conference where he emphasised the urgency of mosquito control in light of rising dengue cases.
"You all are aware that dengue has been spreading over the past few days. That's why we are working to speed up and sustain the mosquito control programme undertaken by the city corporation to keep Dhaka safe in the coming days," he told reporters.
"To ensure this programme continues uninterrupted, we are holding meetings with employees from different departments. Eventually, we will sit with staff from all departments of Dhaka South City Corporation," he added.
He further said meetings would soon be held with all ward secretaries and that ward offices could process essential civic documents such as birth and death certificates, inheritance papers, and citizenship certificates.
A meeting with more than 70 ward secretaries is scheduled for tomorrow.
Ishraque also announced plans to meet with health officials within the next two days and clarified that despite resuming some civic services, their protest would not end.
"The gate of Nagar Bhaban will remain locked," he said, describing the padlock as a "symbol of the movement."
He once again urged the chief adviser to intervene and allow him to be sworn in. Without such intervention, he warned, the sit-in would continue indefinitely.
"Despite our ongoing movement, no one from the government has reached out. Not once, not even till now, has there been any attempt at discussion," he said.
Ishraque also accused the government of running a "parallel administration" at DSCC in violation of the Supreme Court ruling.
"When the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court dismissed the writ petition challenging the mayoral gazette, from that moment the DSCC administrator became illegal. Despite that, they were running a parallel administration and got involved in corruption," he said.
Ishraque further said, "You all know that based on the verdict of the Supreme Court, I have been declared the current mayor of DSCC. But the government has not made any decision to formally appoint me to the position."
"That's why we announced a continuous sit-in programme on Sunday," he added.
"However, throughout our long-running movement, we have always kept public services in mind. Emergency services continued during our protests, and we ensured that. We've made it clear that our movement must not increase public suffering," he further said.
