Speculation over Reports of an Order to Resign - What State Minister Ishraq Said in a Midnight Status

After reports were published in various media that State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain had been ordered to resign from the cabinet, intense discussion began across the country. Amid the speculation that ran through the day, on Sunday (18 October) at midnight the state minister himself stated his position in a status on social media.

Media reports said the order to resign had been given to Ishraq Hossain from the Prime Minister. After the news spread, various rumours began in political circles. Initially, however, the report had been dismissed as a rumour from the state minister's side.

In that very context, in his midnight status Ishraq Hossain spoke about the same matter again. There he mentioned that if a decision such as resignation takes effect, the nation will be informed through a press conference.

In the status, Ishraq wrote, 'As soon as any instruction of resignation or any other instruction comes from the Prime Minister to any member of the council of ministers, it is traditionally obligatory to implement it, or it automatically takes effect. Therefore, there is no necessity to verify any information in this regard through a third, fourth or any more distant person.'

He further wrote, 'Inshallah, as soon as any such decision takes effect in the case of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs or in my case, the nation will be informed in detail through a press conference at the fastest possible time.'

Two things are clear from the state minister's statement. One, he believes there is no need to go to a third party to verify reports about an order to resign. Two, if a decision truly takes effect, he himself will give details at a press conference.

However, in the status he did not directly say that he had been ordered to resign, nor did he dismiss the report outright as false. As a result, his statement, instead of stopping the speculation, has given rise to fresh discussion.

At the start of the day, though, the report had been called a rumour from his side. Later, reports also appeared in some outlets calling the news of the resignation order 'false'. With such contradictory statements for and against, the fog around the matter has thickened further.

Ishraq Hossain had been in discussion in recent times for various reasons. In explaining the allegation of brandishing a weapon in an incident in Gendaria, he had spoken of self-defence - that too was debated. Amid this, the report of the resignation order has brought him back to the centre of discussion.

No official government announcement has yet come as to whether any change is really coming to the cabinet. According to the state minister's own account, if any decision takes effect, everything will be known at a press conference. So everyone's eyes are now on that possible press conference.

According to political observers, in such situations speculation keeps swirling until an official announcement comes. Although the state minister's midnight status has added fresh fuel to the fire of speculation, the final answer will come only with the official decision.