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Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Organiser (South) of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has claimed in his show-cause response that he travelled to Cox’s Bazar with prior consent from the party’s Convener, Md Nahid Islam.
In a written reply addressed to Convener Md Nahid Islam and Member-Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Hasnat explained that on the night of August 4, he first tried to reach Nahid directly, reports UNB.
Failing to do so, he informed NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari about his travel plans and requested him to notify Nahid.
“About 30 minutes later, Nasiruddin confirmed that Nahid had approved the trip,” Hasnat wrote, adding that other NCP leaders later joined him on the trip.
About his absence from the first anniversary event of the July Uprising on August 5, Hasnat expressed disappointment over what he termed an “incomplete and exclusionary declaration.”
“The government should have produced a declaration that reflected the hopes of the people. Instead, many of us were deeply pained to see how those who led the uprising—the injured, the families of martyrs—were ignored during its formulation,” he wrote.
“My travel was a silent protest against this flawed declaration,” the NCP leader said.
Hasnat also criticised a key point in the declaration, which claimed that people intended to entrust the responsibility of constitutional reform to the next elected government.
“That claim is false and contradicts the original spirit of the uprising. From the outset, we have demanded a new constitution through a People’s Assembly election, one that would dismantle the fascist structure of the state and bring about fundamental change,” he said.
Hasnat said he personally decided not to attend the event due to what he described as a shift from unity towards factionalism.
“When the voices of martyrs and the injured are replaced by a few select groups, I did not feel it was appropriate to participate. The next day, I chose to leave Dhaka for reflection, reassessment, and consideration of our next course of action,” Hasnat explained.
Regarding the Cox’s Bazar trip, Hasnat expressed strong resentment over what followed. “From the airport itself, every movement of NCP leaders was photographed and recorded by state intelligence officials, who then handed the footage to media outlets,” he alleged.
“Some media, with background music fit for a crime thriller, falsely portrayed our movements and linked us to baseless conspiracy theories, including a secret meeting with former US Ambassador Peter Haas, who wasn’t even in the country at the time,” he said.
Hasnat accused certain media and intelligence agencies of colluding to criminalise and demonise political dissent. “This tactic mirrors the propaganda campaigns previously run against opposition leaders during the Hasina era. That such behavior persists in today’s ‘new Bangladesh’ is both shocking and infuriating.”
He warned that such patterns of targeting could be used against anyone in the future, not just the current leadership.
On August 5, five senior NCP leaders—Nasiruddin Patwari (Chief Coordinator), Hasnat Abdullah (Chief Organiser, South), Sarjis Alam (Chief Organiser, North), Dr Tasnim Jara (Senior Joint Member-Secretary), and Khaled Saifullah (Joint Convener) -- skipped the July Uprising anniversary programme and travelled to Cox’s Bazar. The party issued individual show-cause notices the next day.