Sarjees Alam defended Adviser Asif Mahmud, criticizing Ishraque Hossain for indirectly enabling personal attacks on him. “I knew Ishraque as the son of Sadeque Hossain Khoka, and I respected him even more after he bravely rescued a party worker from Hasina’s police. But if he legitimizes a controversial mayoral election by accepting the post, it will be a permanent stain on his political career,” Sarjees wrote. He argued that even if Ishraque does not personally engage in these attacks, allowing his local supporters to do so shifts some of the blame onto him.