Jamaat leader seeks cancellation of AL-era foreign contracts at Ctg Port

Jamaat central committee member Shahjahan Chowdhury has demanded the cancellation of contracts awarded by the previous Awami League government for operations at Chattogram port.

He also urged the Chattogram Port Authority to operate the port with its own capacities and refrain from handing over the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to foreign companies.

He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable discussion on Chattogram Port, organised by the Chattogram city unit of Jamaat-e-Islami at the Bangladesh Islamic Academy (BIA) auditorium, today (10 May).

During the discussion, he criticised the widespread corruption under the Awami League regime.

"For years, Awami League ministers, MPs, and leaders looted billions of taka through corruption and smuggled it abroad. We demand a corruption-free port and encourage foreign investment, but the NCT terminal must not be handed over to foreign companies," he said.

Shahjahan Chowdhury also accused the former Awami League government of undermining Chattogram port to serve Indian interests at the expense of Bangladesh's national interests.

He stressed the importance of using the port to drive economic development, ensure workers' welfare, and reduce unemployment, urging the government to prioritise these objectives.

The discussion, moderated by SM Lutfur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Workers' Welfare Federation (Chattogram metropolitan unit), was addressed by Chattogram city Jamaat Nayeb-e-Amir Muhammad Nazrul Islam, Secretary Principal Muhammad Nurul Amin, Assistant Secretary Muhammad Ullah, organising secretary and former Chattogram City Corporation Councillor Principal Shamsuzzaman Helali, and Shafiul Alam.