UN report on Al-Qaeda's presence in Bangladesh 'assumption-based': Salahuddin

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government is not taking any action for now regarding a United Nations Security Council report on the presence and activities of al-Qaeda in Bangladesh.

The minister said he has not yet read the report and that the government is not taking its claims about the situation in Bangladesh into consideration because they are based on assumptions.

He made the remarks today (17 August) while responding to questions from journalists after a meeting of a committee formed to prepare recommendations on the report of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Pay Commission, 2025, at the finance ministry's conference room in the Secretariat.

A recent UN Security Council report expressed concern over al-Qaeda activities in Bangladesh. It said al-Qaeda was attempting to establish permanent bases and clandestine cells in the country.

Asked about the report, the home minister said, "I have heard about it, but I haven't read it. They may have made some observations there. I cannot comment without seeing it."

"As far as I have heard from what has been published in newspapers, it says they have made an assumption. They have assumed that something like this could happen. So we are not taking any action based on an assumption-driven report," he said.

Law and order situation

The home minister said there had been visible improvement in the country's law-and-order situation over the past six months. However, he said it was up to the people to assess whether they were satisfied with the law-and-order situation.

"We have only completed six months. During this period, we have undertaken many reforms, and you have seen various commendable initiatives by the law-enforcement agencies," he said.

Salahuddin Ahmed claimed that although the government had faced a series of global and domestic crises since taking office, it had dealt with them efficiently and successfully.