|| “Power has changed, but the culture of extortion has not” — AB PartySilent extortion is being carried out by threatening businessmen with trumped up cases” — Barrister FuaadPress Release: The Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) held a press conference demanding an extortion-free, business-friendly environment free from political influenceSpeaking at the party’s central office in Dhaka, AB Party General Secretary, Asaduzzaman Fuaad, a barrister-at-law, said that no business-friendly economy can be established where extortion continues to exist on a client-patron basis. He alleged that extortion, illegal occupation, and control over garment waste (“jhut”) businesses have reached alarming levels in industrial areas including Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Narayangonj and Chittagong.He claimed that despite attempts to suppress news coverage, enough information has emerged to suggest that influential quarters linked to the ruling establishment are controlling these activities. According to him, businessmen who refuse to pay extortion money are being threatened with cases connected to the July Uprising 2024.Barrister Fuaad said that political parties must first free themselves from extortion, violence, and criminal activities if they truly wish to become democratic institutions. He added that state reform is impossible without reforming the political parties from within and noted that such reform was one of the core promises of the July mass uprising.Referring to a recent incident surrounding Shah Ali Mazar, a Sufi shrine in Mirpur area which owns around 400 shops near a shrine, narrative of rising religious right was spread widely while much of the media ignored the reality - economy behind the clown politics. He said that the failure of the state to ensure justice is pushing ordinary people to take the law into their own hands, despite the administration and law enforcement agencies being fully aware of the situation.Barrister Fuaad also expressed grief and protest over the killing of a child named Ramisa in Mirpur. Addressing the performance of the Home Minister, he urged the government to focus more on restoring law and order instead of remaining occupied with constitutional debates. He called for an end to politically motivated postings within the administration and stressed that the ministry’s actions must match its public statements. He further alleged that extortion is taking place in the name of issuing cards to street vendors and warned that attempts to control the media could eventually pave the way for another mass uprising. Drawing comparisons with previous governments, he said efforts to dominate television channels and place loyal individuals in influential positions would ultimately fail. Commenting on the future of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), he stated that simply changing the name of the force would not resolve longstanding concerns surrounding human rights allegations and international sanctions.