Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal

'We are not fighting mere peddlers who do not possess firearms'

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said there are no incidents of crossfire in the country - only gunfights. 

The minister made the statement while speaking to journalists at his office at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Asaduzzaman also said: “Law enforcement agencies are resorting to using their firearms in order to protect themselves. We will not go easy on drug traffickers. Police have adopted a zero-tolerance policy regarding the matter.

“We are not fighting mere peddlers who do not possess firearms. The ones we are fighting are high-level dealers. We are moving on our targets after being completely sure about their criminal activities and with solid proof in hand. These targets sometimes try to escape, and in the process fire at law enforcement officials who fire back to protect themselves,” he added.

“So far, we have incarcerated over 2,000 drug dealers by using mobile courts to prosecute them. According to the prime minister, anyone associated with drugs must be brought to justice – whether it is a journalist, cop, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) member, government official, or Member of Parliament,” the home minister concluded.