Defence deals at end of interim govt's tenure part of ongoing process: Khalilur

Signing defence procurement agreements in the final days of the interim government's tenure is part of an ongoing process, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said today (2 February).

He made the remarks while responding to reporters' questions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this afternoon.

Asked what would happen to the interim government's commitments if the next government decides not to proceed with the agreements, Khalilur said the issue was "speculative".

Khalilur also parried questions regarding reported criticism of his recent appointment as a director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, reports UNB.

When pressed by a TV journalist about becoming a Biman director while holding the post of NSA, he briefly smiled and said, "There is no Biman anywhere in the world."

Khalilur, who also serves as the High Representative on the Rohingya Issue, earlier held a meeting with Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The details of their discussion could not be immediately known.

Recently, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Senior Secretary of the Bangladesh Election Commission Akhtar Ahmed as well as Khalilur were appointed as directors of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

The decision to include them on the airline's board less than a month ahead of the 12 February election raised questions among insiders in the aviation industry.

Meanwhile, police have arrested Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Md Shafiqur Rahman, his wife and two others from Uttara in connection with a case involving the abuse of a child domestic worker.