Five NCP Leaders' Sudden Visit to Cox’s Bazar on July Uprising Anniversary Sparks Speculation

On the first anniversary of the July mass uprising, five top leaders of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) made an unexpected visit to Cox’s Bazar, triggering widespread speculation and discussions in political circles.

According to sources at Cox’s Bazar Airport, the five leaders arrived on a Bangladesh Biman flight from Dhaka around 11:30 AM on Tuesday. The leaders are NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, Chief Organizer (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Chief Organizer (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah, Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Zara, and her husband Khaled Saifullah, who serves as the Joint Convener of NCP.

The sudden arrival of these five NCP leaders in Cox’s Bazar has stirred various rumors and discussions. Airport and related sources confirmed that after landing, the leaders traveled approximately 20 kilometers to check into the five-star Sea Pearl Beach Resort and Spa (formerly Royal Tulip) at Inani Beach. They were transported from the airport to the hotel in a minibus arranged by the resort. Conversations with law enforcement officials revealed that the NCP leaders did not inform the local administration or security forces about their visit. Political circles are abuzz with rumors that the leaders may have traveled to Cox’s Bazar to meet Peter Haas, the former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh. Shahjahan Chowdhury, President of Cox’s Bazar District BNP, told *Prothom Alo* that the sudden arrival of NCP’s top leaders on the significant occasion of the July uprising anniversary, coupled with their stay at a five-star hotel 15-20 kilometers from the city, has raised suspicions. He noted that rumors of a meeting with Peter Haas have further fueled doubts among locals, though he expressed skepticism about Haas’s presence and said he was looking into the matter. Peter Haas currently serves as a strategic advisor for Excelerate Energy, a U.S.-based multinational company involved in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. He previously served as the 17th U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from January 2022 to July 2024. As of 3:15 PM, when this report was being written, media personnel were stationed outside the Sea Pearl Beach Resort, and some BNP workers and supporters were also spotted in the area. When contacted by *Prothom Alo*, Nasiruddin Patwary passed the phone to Hasnat Abdullah, who then handed it to a retired army officer named Kamruzzaman, introduced as the resort’s chief security officer. Kamruzzaman told *Prothom Alo* that neither Peter Haas nor anyone of similar stature had visited the hotel. In a statement to private television channel *Ekhan TV*, NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwary clarified that they had come to Cox’s Bazar for leisure and dismissed rumors of a meeting with Peter Haas as baseless and propaganda. On the first anniversary of the July uprising, various events are taking place in Dhaka. A program titled “July 36 Celebration” began in the morning at Manik Mia Avenue, where the historic July Declaration will be read. The interim government’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, is scheduled to read the July Declaration at the South Plaza of the National Parliament at 5:00 PM. The NCP leaders’ visit to Cox’s Bazar on such a significant day has sparked widespread discussion. A Facebook user named Jahangir Alam wrote, “Why Cox’s Bazar on such an important day?”