Rashed Khan Describes Gopalganj as Awami League’s ‘Political Stronghold’, Calls for Caution in Maintaining Law and Order

Rashed Khan, political assistant to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, has described Gopalganj as an ‘Awami League stronghold’, commenting on the political mindset of people in the district. According to him, many residents of Gopalganj regard the Awami League almost like a religion. He stressed that maintaining law and order in the area requires patience and carefully calculated measures.

Rashed Khan made the remarks in a Facebook post on Sunday (November 15). He also discussed the current situation in Gopalganj, the role of law enforcement agencies and past political clashes in the district.

In his post, Rashed referred to the interim government's tenure, claiming that four Awami League supporters were killed and several others injured in shootings by law enforcement agencies during the National Citizen Party's (NCP) ‘Long March to Gopalganj’ programme.

However, he claimed that the current BNP government does not want even a single person to be killed in shootings by law enforcement agencies. He also said that security forces were making their utmost efforts to bring the situation in Gopalganj under control.

He further stated that the elected government was committed to ending extrajudicial killings. Therefore, he expressed his expectation that law enforcement agencies under the current administration would not act recklessly like those under previous governments.

Rashed Recalls Security Concerns During NCP's Gopalganj Programme

In his post, Rashed Khan also commented on former interim government adviser Asif Mahmud's reported interest in taking charge of the Home Ministry.

He claimed that during the NCP's programme in Gopalganj, several senior party leaders, including Nahid Islam, Akhtar Hossain, Nasiruddin Patwary, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, had to return to Dhaka using an Army armoured vehicle due to security concerns.

He further alleged that party activists had also appealed on social media for the leaders to be evacuated by helicopter.

Calls for Patience in Handling Gopalganj Situation

Commenting on the political outlook of Gopalganj residents, Rashed Khan described the district as a traditional stronghold of the Awami League.

He said many people in the region regard the party almost as a religion. In his view, restoring normalcy requires authorities to take local political sentiments into consideration and respond with patience and strategic judgement.

Finally, the Prime Minister's political assistant expressed hope that the situation in Gopalganj would return to normal soon.