Former state minister for home affairs Sohel Taj was stopped at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while en route to the United States.
He was scheduled to travel to the US on Wednesday night via Qatar Airways and had arrived at the airport for his flight. However, due to a travel ban, he was turned back at the airport.
An immigration police officer confirmed the information.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Mahjabin Ahmad Mimi, the youngest daughter of Tajuddin Ahmad and sister of Sohel Taj, spoke to the media about the incident.
She said: “Sohel Taj’s overseas journey was blocked.”
When asked exactly when it happened, she said: “It probably occurred on Wednesday.” However, she declined to provide details about why he was stopped, only advising: “You should ask them directly.”
During the Awami League government, Sohel Taj was elected as a member of parliament from Gazipur-4 (Kapasia) in the 2001 elections. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 2008. On January 6, 2009, he was appointed state minister for home affairs in the Awami League-led cabinet.
On May 31 of the same year, citing “personal reasons,” Sohel Taj resigned from the cabinet. On April 23, 2012, he also resigned from his parliamentary seat. Initially, the resignation was not accepted on procedural grounds, but when he submitted it again on July 7, 2012, it was accepted.
He later alleged that various obstacles were being created in his work and that his instructions were being ignored. For these reasons, he decided to resign and has not returned to active politics since.