KARACHI, Dec 3: Executive president of Bangladesh Nezam-i-Islam Party, Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury, on Tuesday condemned the statements of Indian leadership about the existence of Al Qaeda in Bangladesh and said they should withdraw their allegations.

Speaking at a press conference at a hotel, he expressed his displeasure over the statements of Indian Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and minister George Fernandez and said they were far from the reality.

“We are happy on the success of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in the recent elections and I am here to congratulate the leadership of the MMA,” he said and added that he had held meetings with MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

“We have invited the leaders of the MMA to visit Bangladesh,” he said. The MMA leaders are expected to visit Bangladesh after the by-elections, he said.

Talking about the plight of Biharis, living in camps, he said it was a human rights issue and the governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh should sit together to settle the issue.

He criticized the attitude of former prime minister of Bangladesh, Shaikh Hasina Wajid, and alleged that after her defeat in the last elections she was working against the interests of her country.

He said that during her recent visit to India, the former prime minister had spoken against the interests of the country, which resulted in the statements of the ministers. During her five-year tenure, Shaikh Hasina took action against religious schools and parties and the government of Khalida Zia had restored peace in the country, he said.

The government of the four-parties alliance in Bangladesh had recently launched a joint police-army action against outlaws and thousands of suspects had been arrested, he said.

He said the country’s relations with Pakistan had also improved.—APP