Never seen BNP leader Tarique Rahman directly, says Mokbul after forced retirement

Md Mokbul Hossain on Monday denied seeing BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman directly, a day after he was sent on early retirement as the information secretary in "public interest."

"I've never seen Tarique Rahman physically. I've never made any compromise with morality in my life and I'm not even prepared for this situation," he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.

No details have been available about his alleged connection with Tarique, who has been living in London with his family since September 2008. In his absence he was tried and convicted in deadly grenade attack on then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina's rally in Dhaka on August 21, 2004 and in a money laundering case.

On Sunday Mokbul was shown the door in "public interest' nearly a year before he was due to retire from government service triggering speculations about the real reason.

Asked about different allegations brought against him, Mokbul requested the reporters to publish if they get anything like this.

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said "I have seen the gazette yesterday but I have no idea about it, the Public Administration Ministry can explain about it."

Hasan said this while talking to reporters after a view-exchange meeting with the television artists, directors and producers at his office.

Such incidents have occurred before and the government can send any secretary on compulsory retirement and the Public Administration Ministry can explain it properly, Hasan added.

According to the notification issued on Sunday, Mokbul has been sent on retirement from government service in the public interest in accordance with Section 45 of the "Government Employment Act, 2018.

Mokbul joined as the secretary of the Information Ministry on May 31, 2021. Before joining the ministry, he was a registrar of the Directorate of Joint Capital Companies and Firms. He also served as additional secretary of the Jute and Textile Ministry.

He joined Bangladesh Civil Service as a 10th batch officer of the BCS (Administration) cadre in 1991.