Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor yesterday said giving drugs made by Ibn Sina to the participants of the national anthem event did not mean the government accepted any financial help from the pro-Jamaat company.
The minister told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our stand is clear regarding the issue of taking support from pro-Jamaat companies. The government did not accept any help or financial support from them.”
The lunch box supplied to the participants of the “Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla” programme at the National Parade Ground on Wednesday contained three products made by the IBN SINA Pharmaceutical Industry Ltd: Unisaline, an edible saline; Sinapol, a paracetamol tablet; and Antanil, an antacid tablet.
IBN SINA Pharmaceutical is a concern of the Ibn Sina Trust, which is a sponsor shareholder of Islami Bank Limited – a financial institution owned by Jamaat bigwigs. Recently, the investigation agency of the International War Crimes Tribunal found evidence that Jamaat had been involved with war crimes in 1971 as an organisation and recommended banning the right wing Islamist party.
In the wake of strong criticism in social and mainstream media, the government earlier this week returned the Tk3 crore that the bank had given for the event.
Many participants of the national anthem event threw away the drugs after seeing the maker’s name.
Noor claimed: “We procured the drugs from the suppliers by properly following procurement rules. The Armed Forces Division procured those drugs as per our [the ministry’s] demand. Purchasing more than three lakh packets of oral saline at a time is not an easy thing. The company [IBN SINA] might have supplied some of those packets.
“It is not that the government has taken support from the company. A section of people are trying to create controversy regarding the issue. Although they are not banned, the government is adamant to avoid receiving any support from pro-Jamaat organisations,” Nur explained.
Shahinur Islam, director of the Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR), told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday that the army did not know anything about the matter because the event had been organised by the ministry and that the army was only in charge of management.
