District Correspondent, Sylhet: Thirteen years have passed since former Member of Parliament for Sylhet-2 constituency and former BNP organizational secretary M. Ilias Ali went missing, yet his family’s wait has not ended. The mystery of his disappearance remains unresolved. Expressing frustration and anger, the Sylhet District BNP voiced their concerns over the lack of progress in finding him.
During a human chain organized by the Sylhet District BNP at the city’s Court Point on Thursday afternoon, the president of the event stated, “Despite numerous assurances from the government at the time, no information about Ilias Ali has been found to date. We believe he is still alive, and the relevant authorities are aware of his whereabouts.”
The memorandum states that on the night of April 17, 2012, M. Ilias Ali and his driver Ansar Ali went missing from Banani in Dhaka. Despite various assurances from the then-government, no trace of him has been found to this day. His disappearance has left not only his family but also the people of Sylhet anxiously awaiting the return of their beloved leader.
The memorandum further mentions that following Ilias Ali’s disappearance, several other leaders and activists from Sylhet—especially Chhatra Dal leaders Iftekhar Ahmed Dinar and Junaid Ahmed—also went missing, and their whereabouts remain unknown. The leaders demanded that Ilias Ali be returned to them, citing recent incidents where some missing persons were freed from “detention centers.”
The Sylhet District BNP raised three demands in the memorandum:
1. M. Ilias Ali and his driver Ansar Ali must be found immediately and returned safely to their families.
2. The whereabouts of all missing leaders and activists, including Chhatra Dal leaders Iftekhar Ahmed Dinar and Junaid Ahmed, must be ensured.
3. A neutral and internationally recognized commission must be formed to investigate the incidents of enforced disappearances.
Present during the submission of the memorandum were Sylhet District BNP president Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, acting president of the Metropolitan BNP Rezaul Hasan Koyes Lodi, district BNP general secretary Advocate Emran Ahmed Chowdhury, former Metropolitan BNP general secretary Badruzzaman Selim, district vice presidents Advocate Ashiq Uddin Ashuk P.P., Mamunur Rashid Mamun, Nazim Uddin Laskar, Samia Begum Chowdhury, Gaus Ali, Lilu Mia, Principal Zillur Rahman Suayeb, district joint secretaries Ishtiaq Ahmed Siddique, Tajrul Islam Tajul, Anwar Hossain Manik, Kohinur Ahmed, Abul Kashem, Mahbubul Haque Chowdhury, Shakil Morshed, district BNP organizing secretaries Shamim Ahmed, Advocate Al Aslam Mumin, Lokman Ahmed, Advocate Badrul Islam Chowdhury, Tasnim Sharmin Tamanna, Al Mamun Khan, Mahbub Alam, along with leaders and activists from BNP and its affiliated organizations.
