NCP leaders, under scanner for Aug 5 ‘trip’, leave Cox’s Bazar at midnight

Several top NCP leaders, who have come under scrutiny over their “trip” to Cox’s Bazar on Aug 5, reportedly left their hotel at the beach town in the early hours of Friday.

Four of them headed back to Dhaka by road at night, while Sarjis Alam, NCP’s chief organiser for the southern region, left Cox’s Bazar with his wife in the morning, according to Khalid Bin Walid, an organiser of the party’s Cox’s Bazar district unit.

Yakub Ali, manager of the Prasad Paradise hotel, said: “They left the hotel in two cars just after 12:30am.”

“They had booked the rooms until noon. In the morning, two of them went out with their wives to sightsee but did not return to the hotel at night. The others stayed at the hotel but left later that night as well.”

Without informing anyone, on Aug 5, the anniversary of the July Uprising, NCP Joint Convenor Khaled Saifullah, his wife and Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Zara, Chief Organiser (South) Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary and Sarjis went to Cox’s Bazar.

Rumours subsequently surfaced that they were holding a meeting with former US ambassador Peter Haas at a hotel. Haas is reportedly in the US at the moment.

In response, the party issued show-cause notices to the five leaders on Wednesday, giving them 24 hours to appear in person and explain themselves.

In Cox’s Bazar, they initially stayed at the Sea Pearl Resort in Inani, about 28km from the town. They later moved to the Prasad Paradise hotel at Sugandha Point.