Received no clear explanation on travel ban: Ehsanul Haque Milon

BNP leader and former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon has said he was barred from travelling abroad but received no clear explanation for the restriction.

“I was scheduled to travel to Bangkok for medical treatment when immigration officers at Dhaka International Airport informed me that I was prohibited from leaving the country,” Milan told an emergency press conference at the National Press Club on Friday, October 31. “However, despite asking, I received no proper answer as to why this travel ban was imposed,” he added.

Milon said that while he was in Bangkok, he was informed that he had been asked to attend a meeting of BNP’s nomination aspirants. “Following the party’s instruction, I returned to Dhaka on October 25, leaving my treatment unfinished. After completing organisational duties, I set off again for Bangkok on October 30 for further treatment. But during departure, I was told at the airport immigration counter that a travel restriction had been issued against me. I sought clarification but got no clear response,” he said.

“I am a transparent individual who believes in democratic and constitutional politics,” Milon stated. “I have never been involved in any conspiracy, intrigue, or anti-state activity. My love for my country and its people inspired me to renounce my US citizenship and passport to pursue politics here.”

The former state minister recalled that during the previous administration, he and his family, along with BNP members and people with differing political views, faced “inhuman persecution.” “At that time, restricting opposition members from travelling abroad was one of the key tools of oppression,” he remarked.

Questioning the reason behind the current government’s decision to stop him from travelling, Milon said, “This is the government born out of the great 24 January uprising. My party, the BNP, has from the beginning extended its support to Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and the interim government under his leadership. I firmly believe that no agency or department of this government will be misled by false information or conspiracies. I also trust that the government will ensure the protection of the constitutional, civil, and human rights of all citizens, including myself.”