Siddique loses AL membership

It is the end of the road for Abdul Latif Siddique in Awami League. On Friday, the Awami League Central Working Committee decided to cancel his primary membership of the party and expel him. The former telecoms minister is currently in India, but it is not clear why. Sources close to the Siddique family says Latif Siddique is not feeling safe to return to Bangladesh. In his first reaction from India, the former minister had regretted the embarrassment his remarks caused to the party and government. But, he maintained he had said what he said about the Hajj as a free citizen of a democratic and secular country. General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam announced his expulsion from the ruling party while speaking with reporters after the Working Committee's meeting Friday evening. Earlier, the government dropped Latif Siddique from the Cabinet and made it clear that he would not henceforth hold any position in government, according to a news agency.