On August 5, five top leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP)—Nasiruddin Patwari, Chief Coordinator; Sarjis Alam, Chief Organizer (North Region); Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Organizer (South Region); Tasnim Zara, Senior Joint Secretary; and Khaled Saifullah, Joint Convener—suddenly went to Cox’s Bazar on the first anniversary of the July public uprising. Rumors began circulating in political circles that they travelled to Cox’s Bazar to meet with former U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas. However, several mainstream media outlets, citing their own sources, reported that Peter Haas is not currently in Bangladesh but is in Washington, D.C., United States.
Amidst these rumors, a so-called list of users of the Dolonchapa VIP-2 lounge of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB) began circulating on social media. It claimed that Peter Haas used the VIP lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Here are some of the Facebook posts spreading the claim:
Here, here, here, here, here, and here.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) promoting the same claim can be seen here.
Fact Check
Rumor Scanner Team’s investigation found that the circulated list claiming former U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas used the Dolonchapa VIP-2 lounge at Shahjalal International Airport is false. The list contains several inconsistencies, and the official seal used on the document belongs to no known official at the airport.
At the beginning of this investigation, a Facebook post by journalist Saddif Ovee was found, where he shared several arguments proving the list is fake.
First, Emirates Airlines flight EK 583, mentioned in the list, usually departs from Dhaka to Dubai in the morning, yet the list claims the lounge was used at 7:10 PM.
Second, Mesbah Uddin Chowdhury, listed as a passenger, was Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping in 2022 but was made OSD (Officer on Special Duty) from the position of Senior Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration in August last year.
Third, Foreign Ministry official Ruhul Alam Siddique, also listed, has retired after a trip to China as the Chief Advisor.
Fourth, the name and seal of the supposed official who authorized the list do not match any real person in the relevant department. A female officer has held the Assistant Director position in that department for several years.
Additionally, many active users on social media highlighted notable inconsistencies in the so-called list. For instance, instead of writing the correct title “Ambassador” next to Peter Haas’s name, the list contains the misspelt word “Embassador.” Also, the name of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh was incorrectly referred to as “Private” Aviation Authority.
Rumor Scanner’s investigation further revealed that the seal used in the list belongs to a person named Shahriar Chowdhury, mentioned as an Assistant Director of “Endsec ID Permit.” However, neither Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport nor the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB) websites list any official by this name or designation (Source 1, Source 2).
The closest matching title to “Endsec” is “Avsec ID Permit, Assistant Director,” a position held by a woman named Nasima Shaheen (source). To confirm this, Rumor Scanner contacted her. She confirmed the list is fake and stated they have no such information or documentation. She added, “There is no such thing as Endsec. It’s Avsec.”
Conclusion
The list claiming that former U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas used the Dolonchapa VIP-2 lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is completely false and fabricated.
Sources
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis
- Saddif Ovee: Facebook Post
- Statement from Nasima Shaheen, Assistant Director (Avsec ID Permit)
