Dhaka: BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday urged for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman. Rizvi expressed concerns whether Rahman’s death in a road accident was purely accidental or part of a larger conspiracy.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Rizvi voiced his suspicions during a discussion organized by M Saifur Rahman Smriti Parishad at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the 17th anniversary of Rahman’s death. He questioned whether the accident was a result of national or international conspiracies against Rahman, given his pivotal role in laying the economic foundation of Bangladesh. Rizvi emphasized that Rahman’s efforts to build a self-reliant economy were not favored by certain countries or internal forces.
Saifur Rahman died on September 5, 2009, in a road accident on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway while traveling to Dhaka from Moulvibazar. Rizvi reiterated Rahman’s importance to the nation, recalling his tenure as finance minister during the administrations of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. He regarded Rahman as a ‘national asset’ and ‘pride of BNP’, with his contributions recognized both domestically and internationally.
Rizvi shared anecdotes of former leaders, including a former Pakistani prime minister and former Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, acknowledging Rahman’s successful economic policies. He highlighted Rahman’s role in preventing money laundering and bank looting, contrasting it with the subsequent years marked by economic mismanagement.
Rizvi criticized the economic policies of the last 17 years, alleging an era dominated by looting and exploitation. He praised Rahman for preparing budgets based on local economic strength and tax collection and for his measures in establishing Bangladesh’s economic foundation.
The discussion was chaired by Rahman’s son, M Nasser Rahman, MP, and attended by Whip Md GK Gouse, Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Quiyum Choudhury, Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS) President Helal Khan, and other leaders from Sylhet and Moulvibazar.