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Rashed Khan
Rashed Khan, Political Assistant to the Prime Minister (holding the rank of Secretary), has launched a blistering broadside against Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, spokesperson for the National Citizen Party (NCP) and former adviser, regarding ongoing corruption allegations against him. Rashed claimed that Asif aligned himself with the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami alliance purely to secure immunity from multiple graft allegations, deflect political pressure, and shield himself from accountability.
He leveled these scathing remarks in a status update posted from his verified Facebook profile on Sunday (September 13).
In his social media post, Rashed Khan remarked sarcastically that when Asif Mahmud held an anti-Jamaat stance, all allegations brought against him were treated as true. At that time, Rashed pointed out, despite requests from Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Ameer of Jamaat withheld the Dhaka-10 electoral nomination from Asif due to corruption accusations. However, now that Asif practices alliance politics alongside Jamaat, every allegation brought against him is suddenly termed baseless.
Rashed Khan asserted that whether an individual is branded a criminal or deemed innocent currently depends on whether they stand aligned with Jamaat. He commented that affiliating with or endorsing Jamaat seemingly washes away an individual's misdeeds, turning them completely angelic overnight. Consequently, Asif Mahmud joined the Jamaat alliance precisely to wash his hands of these allegations and secure political indemnity.
Continuing his critique, Rashed noted that Asif is now being framed as pristine and faultless. However, he warned that if the NCP ever parts ways with the Jamaat alliance in the future, the Anti-Corruption Commission will not even be needed, as Jamaat-Shibir cadres themselves will deliver judgment on his corruption. He added that it remains to be seen how long Asif can keep himself safe through this alliance.
Rashed further claimed to have learned that, as part of this self-preservation bid, Asif orchestrated a "safe exit" from Dhaka South City Corporation politics. According to Rashed, after Jamaat bluntly informed him that Dhaka South would not be conceded to him, Asif shifted his ambitions to Dhaka North, where he will eventually step aside in favor of Jamaat leader Selim Uddin. Rashed lamented that it is deeply tragic to watch a key spokesperson of the mass uprising make such humiliating compromises and sacrifices under Jamaat's umbrella simply to evade graft scrutiny.
