Families still waiting for Tahmid, Hasnat’s return

Rezaul Karim, father of Hasnat Karim, has told The Independent that a source in the police confirmed that his son is being held for further questioning. “At this point, I cannot give you any further information,” he told this correspondent yesterday (Thursday). Rezaul had written to the inspector general of police (IGP) and the commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to learn about his son’s whereabouts, but none of them has responded.
The Hasnat episode is shrouded in mystery. He was first taken into police custody as a witness of the Gulshan attack. Later, he was interrogated as a suspect. Photographs released after the Gulshan attack showed that Hasnat was walking with the militants on the rooftop of the Holey Artisan Bakery. A video taken by a resident from a building located beside the restaurant shows Hasnat standing casually with the militants at the gate of the restaurant.
The police, however, declined to comment on the issue. The New York Times reported that the hostages inside the restaurant confirmed that the militants had asked Hasnat to perform specific tasks for them. They also asked Tahmid Hasib Khan, another hostage who was released along with Hasnat, to do some tasks for them.
Tahmid too was taken by the police for questioning on July 2 along with Hasnat and has been missing since. The police  claimed they had released Tahmid on July 6, but his family said they do not know where he is.
The New York Times report said both Tahmid and Hasnat were placed at a table of eight patrons, including Hasnat Karim’s two children, all of whose lives were spared. They were instructed to put their heads down on the table and spent much of the night in the dark.
But several times during the siege, the attackers ordered Tahmid and Hasnat to perform specific tasks for them, the New York Times reported after interviewing two other hostages. At one point, the attackers directed Tahmid to carry a gun and go with them to the roof of the restaurant, the hostages said. They said he resisted, and to persuade him to hold the weapon, the attackers fired it to show him its magazine was empty. Tahmid broke down when they insisted that he take the gun, but reluctantly complied with the order, said one of the hostages. Hasnat was twice ordered to go outside the restaurant, once to lock the gate and then in the morning to open it. The New York Times reported that the attackers appeared to grow anxious early in the morning about what to do with the group of Bangladeshi Muslims they had spared, and took Tahmid and Hasnat to the roof to discuss the matter. The witnesses also said Tahmid persuaded the attackers to spare the group, and soon after, at about 6 am, they were released. Tahmid’s family has sent letters to the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau seeking help about Tahmid, a permanent resident of Canada.

 

Families still waiting for Tahmid, Hasnats return

Rezaul Karim, father of Hasnat Karim, has told The Independent that a source in the police confirmed that his son is being held for further questioning. At this point, I cannot give you any further information, he told this correspondent yesterday (Thursday). Rezaul had written to the inspector general of police (IGP) and the commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to learn about his sons whereabouts, but none of them has responded. The Hasnat episode is shrouded in mystery. He was first taken into police custody as a witness of the Gulshan attack. Later, he was interrogated as a suspect. Photographs released after the Gulshan attack showed that Hasnat was walking with the militants on the rooftop of the Holey Artisan Bakery. A video taken by a resident from a building located beside the restaurant shows Hasnat standing casually with the militants at the gate of the restaurant. The police, however, declined to comment on the issue. The New York Times reported that the hostages inside the restaurant confirmed that the militants had asked Hasnat to perform specific tasks for them. They also asked Tahmid Hasib Khan, another hostage who was released along with Hasnat, to do some tasks for them. Tahmid too was taken by the police for questioning on July 2 along with Hasnat and has been missing since. The police claimed they had released Tahmid on July 6, but his family said they do not know where he is. The New York Times report said both Tahmid and Hasnat were placed at a table of eight patrons, including Hasnat Karims two children, all of whose lives were spared. They were instructed to put their heads down on the table and spent much of the night in the dark. But several times during the siege, the attackers ordered Tahmid and Hasnat to perform specific tasks for them, the New York Times reported after interviewing two other hostages. At one point, the attackers directed Tahmid to carry a gun and go with them to the roof of the restaurant, the hostages said. They said he resisted, and to persuade him to hold the weapon, the attackers fired it to show him its magazine was empty. Tahmid broke down when they insisted that he take the gun, but reluctantly complied with the order, said one of the hostages. Hasnat was twice ordered to go outside the restaurant, once to lock the gate and then in the morning to open it. The New York Times reported that the attackers appeared to grow anxious early in the morning about what to do with the group of Bangladeshi Muslims they had spared, and took Tahmid and Hasnat to the roof to discuss the matter. The witnesses also said Tahmid persuaded the attackers to spare the group, and soon after, at about 6 am, they were released. Tahmids family has sent letters to the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau seeking help about Tahmid, a permanent resident of Canada.