Latif to be axed from cabinet, AL, says PM
Friday, 3 October 2014
After facing expulsion from the Cabinet over controversial remarks on Hajj, Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddique is now likely to lose his party membership, says a central leader of the party, report agencies.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Thursday in Sylhet that Abdul Latif Siddique would not only be removed from cabinet but also from Awami League for his comments on hajj, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Tabligh Jamaat.
''Latif Siddique will not only be removed from cabinet but also from Awami League,'' she said, talking to Awami League leaders at Sylhet Osmani International Airport.
The Prime Minister stopped at Sylhet for an hour before heading to Dhaka after her flight from the UK landed in Bangladesh. She met senior leaders of the party at the international airport in Sylhet.
AL organizing secretary Advocate Misbah Uddin Siraj confirmed the remarks of the Prime Minister, saying that the decision would be made effective after the Prime Minister reached Dhaka.
Sheikh Hasina will hold a press conference today (Friday). According to her press wing the briefing will take place at 4pm at her official residence, Ganabhaban.
Hasina is set to address the press amid a furious controversy triggered by her telecoms minister Abdul Latif Siddque's comments rubbishing the practice of Hajj and Tabligh .
However, according to Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury his sacking would need approval of President M Abdul Hamid who is in Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage.