Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General and party's Head of the Publicity and Media Department, Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair issued a statement on August 24 strongly condemning and protesting the abduction of 12 Bangladeshi fishermen at gunpoint from the Naf River.

In the statement, he said: “On August 23 at noon, members of the Arakan Army of Myanmar abducted at gunpoint a fishing trawler along with 12 Bangladeshi fishermen while they were returning after fishing near Naikhyangdia, adjacent to Shah Pori Island. I strongly condemn and protest this abduction. Earlier, in two separate incidents, seven fishermen had been taken away and are still being held hostage. No initiative to bring them back has yet been successful.

He further said: I strongly urge the Bangladesh government to immediately take effective and resolute measures to ensure the safe release of the 12 abducted fishermen as well as the others, still held hostage, and to recover the trawler. At the same time, I call upon the Bangladesh government to take the necessary steps to immediately put an end to such heinous acts by the Arakan Army.”