Open Opposition to Jamaat-e-Islami
Barkat is also viewed as a supporter of the Hindu minority. He is outspoken against hardline Islamist ideologies and has publicly opposed extremist Muslim organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami on several occasions. In 2016, Barkat warned that if attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh did not cease, there would be no Hindus left in the country within 30 years. His statement caused considerable discussion in Bangladesh.The Charges Against Barkat
Why Barkat arrested: Bangladeshi police arrested Barkat on charges of fraudulently securing loans for the readymade garment company ‘Anantex Group’. He is accused of embezzling approximately 2.97 billion Taka from the bank. A case has been filed against him. Barkat is alleged to have created forged documents, secured loans under the names of fictitious buildings and factories, and intentionally inflated the value of purchased land to obtain loans. Former governor Atiur Rahman is also implicated in this corruption case.Recipient of Numerous Awards
Abul Barkat has received several international awards. In 2022, Japan awarded him the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun. In 2016, Barkat authored ‘Political Economy of Reforming Agriculture Land-Water Bodies in Bangladesh’. In this book, he claimed that between 1964 and 2013, approximately 11.3 million Bangladeshi Hindu minorities left the country due to persecution. According to him, 632 Hindus were leaving the country every day in 2016. Based on this, he warned that if this continued, there would be no Hindus left in Bangladesh by 2046. He stated that 60% of Hindu land was confiscated by declaring it enemy property in Bangladesh.
