Former press secretary to the chief adviser of the interim government, Shafiqul Alam, has called on the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to remove all records, statistics and milestones of former national captain Shakib Al Hasan from the country’s cricket history, citing his alleged support for the Awami League government.

In a social media post on Friday (August 7), Shafiqul Alam made the demand.

In his post, he said a cricketer who publicly supports a convicted “genocide perpetrator” has no right to have his name preserved in cricket history. He also said Bangladesh cricket would not be impoverished even if Shakib’s name and records were erased from its history.

Citing South Africa’s apartheid era, Shafiqul Alam referred to several former international cricketers, including Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, Peter Pollock, Mike Proctor and Eddie Barlow. He claimed that they were greater cricketers than Shakib but were excluded from international cricket because of their association with the apartheid system.

Shafiqul Alam also launched a strong criticism of Shakib’s political position. He alleged that Shakib showed loyalty to the Awami League government with the ambition of becoming BCB president in the future and hoped to return to Bangladesh and help rehabilitate the former regime.

He further said that despite UN investigations raising allegations of human rights violations and serious crimes against the government led by Sheikh Hasina, Shakib had shown no remorse. He argued that there should be no place in sports for alleged accomplices of crimes against humanity or supporters of fascism.

Referring to the 2009 BDR massacre, Shafiqul Alam also said several nationally recognised athletes were sentenced to death or life imprisonment in connection with the incident. Claiming that no one had shown sympathy for them, he said Shakib should not be allowed to escape accountability by allegedly appeasing those responsible for genocide.

Shafiqul Alam’s remarks have sparked renewed debate on social media over Shakib Al Hasan’s political role and his place in the history of Bangladesh cricket.