Ordinary businessmen have demanded the resignation of the Executive Committee of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh- ISPAB for disrupting the internet services and even cutting off the internet time and again and thereby demand a new non-discriminatory committee. For this, an ultimatum has been given till Saturday.
In addition, the reformist businessmen have announced the formation of an interim committee of nine members each from ISP, IIG and NTTN to form a new committee to steer ISPAB in the interest of traders.
Hundreds of ISP traders took part in the meeting held on Thursday afternoon at the permanent office of ISPAB in Banani to demand the cancellation of the last committee formed by staging the voting drama as soon as possible. ISPAB former president Aminul Hakim, vice president Rashed Amin Bidyut, current committee director Sabbir Ahmed, Fuad Muhammad Sharfuddin, Md. Nashir Uddin were also present.
At that time, the speakers invited President Emdadul Haque, who was in power for a long time during the outgoing government, but could not appear. He was repeatedly called on the phone but he did not join.
In the meeting, the angry businessmen expressed their angry reactions for the autocratic management of the current president under the shelter of the ousted government. They said that the recently caught ex state minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Information and Broadcasting Minister Mohammad A. Arafat made alliances with the country’s broadband internet management and have implemented various strategies to deprive the common people by placing work in government tenders. With the connivance of the ISPAB president, the country staged the drama of internet blackout with lame arguments during the students’ quota reform movement. Now they are going to make ISPAB a failed organization by taking over the ‘network’ once again. Therefore, if the current partisan committee does not leave by next Saturday, an interim committee will be formed to reform the ISPAB just like the reform of the country.
Aggrieved businessmen said that ISPAB president Emdadul Haque was directly involved in Dhaka College Chhatra League politics. As he was active in the election titled Uthan Boithok of the former general secretary of Chhatra League, Nazrul Islam Babu, he made him the chief election commissioner to be elected as the president in the second round. Meanwhile, ISPAB senior vice-president SM Zakir Hossain was a former general secretary of BCL. Joint General Secretary Anwar Hossain Anu is a president of Katwali Thana and Treasurer Asaduzzaman is also associated with Awami League politics.
