Bangladesh's government will provide Shakib Al Hasan with the security that is accorded to a national cricketer, but Shakib also has to clarify his political standpoint according to the country's sports adviser Asif Mahmud. Mahmud said that Shakib, a former member of parliament whose party the Awami League was overthrown by a student-led revolution last month, can appease the public with him with his "own words".
Mahmud was alluding to Shakib's plunging popularity after he remained silent during the student-led protests in July and August, during which hundreds were killed. On Thursday, in Kanpur, during his first press conference since the T20 World Cup in June, Shakib skirted the subject when asked about his position on the political changes in Bangladesh.
He announced during the same media briefing that the upcoming Dhaka Test between Bangladesh and South Africa will be his last, provided the BCB and/or the government can guarantee his safety. Since the protests, scores of Awami League ministers and MPs have been arrested in Bangladesh. Shakib, along with 146 others, was named in a murder case related to the protests, and he has not been in Bangladesh since then or for that matter at any point since the start of the T20 World Cup. He linked up with the squad directly in Pakistan and India for Test series.
Sports adviser Mahmud said Shakib's dual role as a cricketer and a politician had drawn the public's wrath, and that's where the complication lies.
"The state is bound to give security to each citizen, so we will obviously [provide him with security]. In Shakib's case, we have to remember that he has two identities - the cricketer and the politician. He took part in the general elections from Awami League. People have mixed reactions regarding both his identities. Now we will give Shakib, the player, enough security, as much as a sportsperson. This is our responsibility. We will give him [security] if he comes to the country.
"The public could however be angry at him for his political identity. If half the country's population is angry at me, then the five or six security persons I have won't be enough to protect me. Shakib can however reduce the public's anger through his own words. I think he has to clarify his political standpoint. [Former Bangladesh captain and MP] Mashrafe Mortaza already talked about his situation. So if there are security risks from the people, then no one can give security to anyone. Even [then prime minister] Sheikh Hasina could not be provided the security, she had to flee the country. So Shakib has to make his political stance clear."
Mahmud said that the murder case shouldn't be an obstacle for Shakib, referring to a recent statement by law adviser Asif Nazrul. Nazrul made statements last month and on September 25 that suggested Shakib will not face arrest by merely being named in a case. "Already the law ministry has said about his case, that a name can be removed if the person is not complicit," Mahmud said.
Mahmud's statement should hold some assurance for Shakib. He is reportedly heading back to the USA, where his family resides, after the Kanpur Test. Shakib isn't part of the T20I squad for the three-match series against India starting on October 6, having also announced his international retirement from the shortest format.