DHAKA: State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam on Sunday categorically said there is no existence of al-Qaeda in the country.

The grand alliance government worked to uproot such threats of terrorist activities in their last tenure, he added.

Shahriar Alam, also ruling Awami League lawmaker, came up with the assertion while talking to journalists at his secretariat office in the city.

He also said there is a doubt over the authenticity of the audio tape. “If the audio is true, whatever we repeatedly told about the connection of BNP-Jamaat with terrorism, will be proved true,” the newsmen were told.

Audio tape reiterated the diction of BNP-Jamaat, he alleged.

Bangladesh has the capability to know about the authenticity of the audio tape and it would take two days at best, he added.

He added: “We had many dealings with western countries about facing international terrorism. Bangladesh is able to avert the threat.”

The AL lawmaker further told the journalists: “We cannot denounce the idea that someone might have done these to tarnish the image of the country internationally.”

He also said the government knew about the tape when the media came to know the existence of it.

BDST: 2125 HRS, FEB 16, 2014