The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has demanded withdrawal of the government circular that declared 29 organisations, including the central bank, the National Identity Card wing and the National Board of Revenue, Critical Information Infrastructure under the Digital Security Act, 2018.
‘Declaring the 29 organisations Critical Information Infrastructure at a time when local and international forums are expressing concern over the DSA is nothing but snatching freedom of the media,’ BNP said in a statement signed by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
It said that the party standing committee, the highest policy-making forum of the party, condemned the move of the government at its meeting held on Monday night.
BNP acting chairman Traique Rahman joined the meeting virtually.
The meeting also demanded immediate cancelation of the DSA.
On October 2, the government declared 29 organisations Critical Information Infrastructure under the DSA.
The organisations are President’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Bangladesh Bank, NBR, Bangladesh Data Centre Company Limited, Bridges Division, Department of Immigration and Passports, National Data Centre of the Bangladesh Computer Council, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, NID wing of the Election Commission secretariat, Central Procurement Technical Unit, Sonali Bank Limited, Agrani Bank Limited, Janata Bank Limited, Rupali Bank Limited, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, immigration wing of Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, Bangladesh Power Development Board, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, Central Depository Bangladesh Limited, Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh, Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration, Dhaka Stock Exchange Limited and Chittagong Stock Exchange Limited.
At Monday’s meeting, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Jamiruddin Sircar, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku were present.
