Faiz Ahmed denies role over journalist Mizanur's detention

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the special assistant to the advisor on ICT, has denied his involvement with the detention of Mizanur Rahman Sohel, the online editor of Bangla-language daily Bhorer Kagoj, by detectives.

The ministry has issued a statement in this regard, calling the matter 'baseless and motivated'.

A press release signed by the ministry's public relations officer Muhammad Jasim Uddin on Wednesday (November 19) said that it was reported that a team of the DB took Bhorer Kagoj online editor Mizanur Rahman Sohel to the office for questioning on Tuesday night.

However, a baseless campaign has been launched involving Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology; Which came to our attention this morning. There, the truth has been mixed with the implementation of National Equipment Identification Register (NEIR) by involving Faiz Ahmed and conducting “propaganda” against him.

In this regard, Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb said: "We are implementing the National Equipment Identification Register (NEIR) in the interest of national order and security. BTRC has also held a meeting with the aggrieved parties to rein in illegal handsets."

"Law and order forces perform their duties. There is no scope for my involvement here," he added.

He also said that he has no personal or professional contact with journalist Mizanur Rahman.

Meanwhile, after interrogation on Wednesday morning, Mizanur Rahman Sohel was released from the DB office in the custody of his wife Sumaiya Seema.

Later, Mizanur wrote a post on his verified Facebook account around 11am, describing his ordeal.

In the post, Mizanur wrote: "After being held in DB custody for about 10 and a half hours without any wrongdoing, they just took me home with dignity."

"Last night around 12:00am, 5-6 DB personnel forcibly took me from my house on the pretext that the DB chief would talk to me. I was taken to the DB office, and my name was written in the record book for arrestees. My shoes and belt were taken off, and I was kept in a cell with detainees. But why was I detained? I did not know, nor did those who brought me or the senior DB officials say anything."

Mizanur continued, "After a long time, I realised that I was detained at the behest of a government advisor simply to give the opportunity for only nine mobile phone businessmen to run a monopoly. The secretary of the organisation (MBCB), Abu Saeed Pias, was also detained alongside me."

Sohel further wrote: "Today (Wednesday) the Business Community Bangladesh (MBCB), an organization of mobile handset traders, was supposed to hold a press conference at DRU on the National Equipment Identification Register. I was there as a media consultant. Their main target was to stop that press conference. But unfortunately for them, the whole country came to know the purpose for which they wanted to stop the press conference."

This journalist, stating that NEIR is clearly in conflict with the country’s free trade policy, wrote: "There is also a competition commission in the country to ensure competition. However, a deep conspiracy is going on to put 25,000 mobile phone traders on the road across the country to provide benefits to only nine traders. If this project is implemented, many people, including the common people of the villages and expatriates, will be in danger. A chain will break. Many traders will sit on the road. It is good to know that one of these nine people is a school friend of that adviser."

Questioning why the government is afraid of speaking out against a business syndicate, he said: "Did they have to force me to pick me up late at night just to stop the press conference? Did those who talk about ‘freedom of speech’ organize this to silence me? Is this the real picture of freedom of speech in the Mughal era?"