Up to PM to decide whether Momen will remain foreign minister or not: Quader

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said It is up to the prime minister to decide whether AK Abdul Momen will remain the foreign minister or not.

The minister made the remark while speaking at a programme organised by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporter’s Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat in Dhaka. The foreign minister is also “a human being and he can be unwell”, Quader added.

“I have no authority to say whether he will remain a minister or not… He said certain things a few days ago that were a slip of the tongue. The jurisdiction (to decide whether Momen will retain his post) belongs to the Prime Minister,” he said.

Besides, the foreign minister does not always have to accompany the prime minister during every state visit, said Quader.

“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited here, was (the India) foreign minister with him?” he asked. BSRF general secretary Masudul Haque presided over the dialogue chaired by its president Tapan Biswas.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen did not accompany Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her India visit citing “illness”.

At the invitation of Indian PM Narendra Modi, Bangladesh PM Hasina is on a state visit to New Delhi from September 5-8.

Hasina, now in New Delhi, is visiting India after three years.