Faruk-e-Azam Bir Pratik spoke as the chief guest at a meeting on “Rohingya crisis in the eyes of Chattogram: Humanity, security and future” at Chattogram Press Club. Photo: BSS

CHATTOGRAM, Sept 26 (BSS)- Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk-e-Azam Bir Pratik today said the interim government is trying to bring Rohingya issue in the limelight at the global stage for its durable solution.

“Rohingya issue is not merely an issue of Bangladesh, rather an international one. So, we must involve concerned global and regional parties if we want a sustainable solution for this problem”, he said.

The Adviser was speaking as the chief guest at a meeting on “Rohingya crisis in the eyes of Chattogram: Humanity, security and future” organized by Chattogram Forum at July Biplob Smriti Hall at Chattogram Press Club.
 
Faruk-e-Azam said Rohingya crisis is also a political issue and should be resolved from political point of view. Otherwise, the solution will not be sustainable.  

“As much as we go deep into the crisis, we observe the issue is more complicated one than our observation and it has been rolling into a deep hole of conflict,”

He said besides the direct involvement of Myanmar, the issue is knotted with the interest of many other neighboring countries, which made it a complex issue. Apart from this, emergence of another armed group further worsened the crisis, he said.  

The adviser said the previous fascist Awami League government could not solve the issue in lack of their poor footing in people. 

“We are now passing a transitional time and if we want to find a solution over the crisis politically, we, at first, have to make our political position stronger,” he observed.

The Adviser said an atmosphere of unity has been prevailed in the country’s political landscape through student-people mass uprising.

On the basis of that achievement, we were now heading towards holding a national election, he said.

“Bangladesh will gain significant political strength if we able to hold the upcoming national election unitedly, which will help us tremendously to create a conducive atmosphere to solve the Rohingya crisis” he said, adding that “then we will have many strong voices and can firmly bargain in many other areas also.” 

He said we have given permission to the Commonwealth Journalists Association to arrange a conference on the Rohingya issue and ready to welcome other journalists to visit the Rohingya camps as we have no intention to hide anything about the crisis. 

Expressing serious concern over local law and order and increasing flow of drugs, the adviser said, a huge number of Rohingya refugees are involved with drug trade.

“Continued and combined efforts of the law enforcement agencies have contributed enormously to improve the situation, as well as curbing the flow of drugs” he said.

Faruk-e-Azam said the government has to create a humanitarian environment in and around the Rohingya refugee camps apart from ensuring their healthcare services and providing them with the education facilities despite the constraints of domestic resource.

Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation general secretary Advocate Zia Habib Ahsan presided over the meeting while Chattogram Metropolitan Union General Secretary Saleh Noman moderated. 

Additional Secretary of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s Office Abu Saleh Mohammed Obaidullah attended the function as the special guest.

The meeting was also addressed by former Chattogram Education Board chairman Prof Ahmad Hossain, Arakan Rohingya Alliance chairman Nurul Islam, CU Law Department Assistant Professor Sayeed Ahsan Khalid and journalist Hossain Ziad.