Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam spoke at a press briefing today at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. Photo: PID

DHAKA, Aug 14, 2025 (BSS) - The interim government has formed a committee to investigate the purchase of surveillance equipment during the regime of fallen Sheikh Hasina government. 

Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor on Posts, Telecommunications and ICT, has been made the head of the committee. 

The committee will investigate how, from where and at what price the spy devices were purchased and how those were used, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told a press briefing.

The briefing was held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital today.

Alam said it was told that the surveillance equipment were purchased during the previous government spending about US$300 million, while many said those was brought at cost of US$200 million. 

"What we read in the entire report is completely clear - the previous authoritarian government used surveillance equipment and spyware to deprive the civil rights of the Bangladesh's people,” he said.  

"To carry out this illegal surveillance, your and my minimum freedom of speech was snatched away. They violated the right to privacy given in the constitution," he added. 

The press secretary said the committee was formed in the meeting of the Council of Advisers today to probe the issue. 

How much money was spent in purchasing those and from where those were purchased will be investigated, although the report says - many things were purchased from Israel, he said. 

Alam said the probe body will investigate the entire issue.

About the ongoing reforms in the country, he said, last week it was informed that 121 recommendations of the reform commissions were under implementation. 

Of those, 16 have already been implemented and 14 have been partially implemented and the rest are under implementation, he said. 

Referring to the council meeting, Shafiqul Alam said, 246 more reform recommendations have come, which are immediately implementable and the Council was informed that those are under implementation. 

"A total of 367 recommendations have been presented. Of those, 37 have already been implemented. Of the recommendations, 82 are related to labour," he said. 

Alam said the Labour Adviser informed the meeting that many of the 82 recommendations are at the final stages of implementation. 

Some 71 recommendations of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission have been listed for immediate implementation, he said, adding those include 37 of the Local Government Division Reform Commission, 33 of the Health Sector Reform Commission, and 23 of the Media Reform Commission.

The press secretary said emphasis has been given on the implementation of the recommendations that need to be implemented immediately. 

He said there has also been a report on how deadly weapons were purchased for the police. 

A probe is underway in this regard, he said, adding that how the weapons were purchased and how those were used are being investigated.