Law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh arrested a leader of Democratic Party who has played the role of an advisor to US President Joe Biden.
According to media reports, Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy visited the office of ultra-Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on October 28 and identified him as an adviser of the US President Joe Biden’s election campaign and a member of National Democratic Committee (DNC). Addressing members of the media, he said, “I am a member of the national democratic committee … we have a hot connection … Joe Biden [US president] and we exchange text message 10 to 15 times a day”. He assured opposition supporters of US president Joe Biden’s support to ensure regime change in Bangladesh.
Aside from Biden, he bragged about his day-to-day contact with State Department and US embassy officials in Bangladesh.
He claimed all key players within the US government backed the opposition’s movement to bring down the government without taking part in election as this is good for Bangladesh and countrymen.
“The US has given a deadline for Hasina to step down from government on November 3. If she doesn’t listen you will see our actions”, he said, adding that one of his close associates is now staying in Bangladesh and working in close coordination with US embassy officials in Dhaka.
Sitting with a number of BNP leaders including Ishraque Hossain, son of former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Arafi even went ahead to claim the US president is in full favor of the restoration of the caretaker government.
Arafi was surrounded by BNP leaders including retired military officer Lieutenant General (Retd) Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy. It may be mentioned here that Lieutenant General (Retd) Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy maintains connections with a jihadist terrorist named Zulkarnain Saer alias Zulkarnain Saer Sami alias Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami alias Tanvir Md. Sadat and been regularly leaving anti-Bangladesh and anti-government comments on Sami’s Facebook posts. Europe’s most-influential news outlet EuroNews recently has published a report exposing criminal activities of Sami.
Another source said, the mastermind behind Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy’s false claim of being advisor to US President Joe Biden is Lieutenant General (Retd) Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy and few more BNP leaders.
The video of his statement went viral. BNP, Jamaat supporters also shared the video with the media.
Foreign Minister Dr Ak Abdul Momen on October 29 sought the arrest of the so-called advisor to US President Joe Biden who held a press briefing at the BNP office with the party leaders.
Replying to a question, he said the foreign ministry official checked the issue with the US embassy and found that the mission was not aware of that.
“My personal position is that someone who promotes violence must be arrested, no matter who. He should be arrested. This is pure and simple”, he said after visiting the injured police personnel at the Rajarbagh Central Police Hospital. It may be mentioned here that members of ultra-Islamist had mercilessly beaten dozens of policemen on the streets of Dhaka city during BNP’s rally.
Commenting on US President Biden’s self-proclaimed advisor the US Embassy in Dhaka said: “This gentleman does not speak for the US government and is a private individual”.
Joint Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Biplob Kumar Sarkar confirmed the arrest of Arefy, who identified himself as an adviser to the US President.
“Immigration Police have arrested him when he went to the airport to leave the country”, said Sarkar.
People behind Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy
According to credible sources, hailing from Sirajganj district in Bangladesh, Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy is known amongst his inner circle as Billal and lives in Maryland. Arefy has friendship with Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey and BNP’s full-time employee and lobbyists William B. Milan and Jon Danilowicz. Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy was brought into Bangladesh at the instruction of BNP’s acting chairman and convicted terrorist Tarique Rahman, whereas Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey in coordination with Ishraque Hossain and few more key figures in BNP made necessary arrangements for his trip to Bangladesh. Key reason behind this entire arrangement was to spread rumor by using the name of US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other key figures in the Biden administration.
Prior to appearing at the BNP office, at the advice of Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, this self-proclaimed advisor of Joe Biden has provided fake information to a fake-news peddling website named NE News stating US Deputy Assistant Secretary (South Asia and Central Asia) Afreen Akhter has asked Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down by November 3. It may be mentioned here that, NE News website was launched during the end of 2022 without any address or information on any individual involved in it. Two infamous individuals namely Chandan Nandy and Saleem Samad are spreading false propaganda against Bangladesh through this website. Chandan Nandy is known in India’s media circuit as an agent of Pakistani spy agency Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), while Saleem Samad, a jobless ex-journalist has reportedly joined hands with radical Islamic forces in Bangladesh.
