United News of Bangladesh

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday said a fake press release bearing his forged signature was circulated on Facebook on Friday (Aug 14) by a “vested group” with ulterior motives. In a press statement issued on Saturday, Rizvi said the press release circulated on Facebook on Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), was completely false, fabricated and malicious. He said the fake press release was not sent to the media by the BNP office under his signature. Rizvi urged leaders and activists of the BNP at all levels not to be misled or confused by the fake press release circulated on social media.  

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday said former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia could not be forced to compromise or deviated from her political ideals despite being subjected to persecution, oppression, torture and imprisonment by “anti-people force.” “An anti-people force subjected her to oppression, persecution and torture. She was kept imprisoned in a dilapidated jail, in the ruins of a prison. Even then, she could not be deviated from her duties, political thoughts, uncompromising stance and the goal for which she was fighting. She could not be forced to compromise,” Rizvi said. He made the remarks while speaking at a milad and doa mahfil organised by the BNP at its central office in Nayapaltan in Dhaka in the morning to mark Khaleda Zia’s 81st birth anniversary. Describing Khaleda Zia as a historic figure who represented ordinary people, Rizvi said she was a symbol of the country’s independence and sovereignty and an embodiment of democracy. BNP’s President-nominee and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was present as the chief guest. BNP Standing Committee members Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, BNP Vice-President Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Vice-Chairman and Liberation War Affairs Minister Advocate Ahmed Azam Khan, Joint Secretary General and Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, Joint Secretary General Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, among others, attended the programme.  

Nahid Islam, Convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Opposition Chief Whip, on Friday warned that the government would not be allowed to remain in power if it continues to fail to provide essentials like gas and electricity. Addressing a massive public rally in the city’s Jatrabari area, the NCP leader attributed the ongoing national fuel and energy crisis to governmental mismanagement, corruption, and "unprecedented looting". The rally, organized by NCP’s Dhaka Metropolitan South unit, presented several demands, including the implementation of the public mandate, a reversal of fuel-gas price hikes, and an end to political oppression. Opposition leader urges acting president to convene special parliament session over power, energy crisis "If this government cannot supply gas, reduce prices, or stop the extortion hindering businesses, we will not let them stay in office," Nahid said.

Opposition Leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Friday urged the Acting President to convene a special session of parliament to discuss the ongoing severe power and energy crisis and the deteriorating socioeconomic and law-and-order situation in the country. He made the request in a letter sent to the acting president, according to a press release issued by Mujibul Alam, Senior Publicity Assistant of the party's Central Publicity Department.  Jamaat demands immediate suspension of moves to increase private sector participation in fuel sector Copies of the letter were also sent to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and the Parliament Secretariat. In the letter, Shafiqur Rahman said a severe power crisis is currently prevailing across the country. He said rampant load-shedding has made people's lives unbearable while seriously affecting industrial production, business and commerce. The direct impact of the power and energy crisis has also contributed to rising prices of essential commodities and a severe deterioration in the overall law-and-order situation, pushing people into extreme uncertainty, he said. “As representatives of the people, we cannot remain silent during this crisis,” the opposition leader said, stressing that meaningful discussion in parliament and finding an immediate solution are essential to address the situation. He urged the acting president to immediately convene a special session of parliament to find swift solutions to the power and energy crisis and other related problems across the country. The letter was sent to the acting president on Friday, according to a press release issued by the central publicity department of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on Friday has announced a two-day programme of milad and prayer sessions to mark the 81st birth anniversary of former BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. According to a press release issued by JCD on Thursday, milad and prayer programmes will be held at all universities, districts and metropolitan areas across the country on Saturday (Aug 15). JCD congratulates successful SSC candidates The press release was signed by Md Jahangir Alam, JCD’s Office Secretary (holding the rank of Joint Vice-President). Similar programmes will be organised at all educational institutions across the country on Sunday (Aug 16), it said. JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir announced the programmes. The organisation called upon its leaders and activists at all levels to participate in the programmes and pray for Khaleda Zia.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said the BNP government has implemented most of its electoral pledges and programmes earmarked for its first six months in office. He made the remarks at an emergency press conference at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan in the afternoon. Mindset change needed for strengthening democracy: Rizvi Rizvi claimed that the government has met its targets in most areas, with implementation reaching 100 percent in some cases and 90-95 percent in others. “According to the targets set for six months, more or less all of them have been fulfilled. Some may not have reached 100 percent, but there it is 95 percent or 90 percent. In some areas, it has reached 100 percent,” he said. He said it took some time to put in place the necessary structures and administrative preparations for implementing the programmes. Rizvi expressed hope that the government’s programmes would be implemented more vigorously and swiftly during the next six months. He said a detailed written account or booklet outlining the government’s achievements over the past six months would soon be made available to journalists. The document will contain detailed statistics on various government programmes, including the Family Card, Farmer Card and canal excavation initiatives, he said. Asked about BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s resignation from his party post after being nominated for the presidency, Rizvi said there was no legal requirement for him to resign from a party or government post before taking the oath of office. “However, the decision to resign from the party’s secretary general post was taken on ethical grounds,” he said. At the beginning of the press conference, Rizvi highlighted various aspects of former BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s political life. He said Khaleda Zia had never deviated from her commitment to independence, sovereignty and establishing democracy. “For this reason, she had to endure sorrow, pain, persecution and repression throughout her political life,” he said. Rizvi said BNP would organise prayer programmes at party offices across Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Saturday to mark Khaleda Zia’s birthday. A prayer programme will be held at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan at 11am, while another will be held at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office after Asr prayers, he said. Asked whether any organisational change was imminent following a Facebook post by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) president Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir, Rizvi said he had received no such directive. “I have not received any such directive today. No directives or instructions have come to me,” he said. Rizvi said he was not aware of any discussion on the matter between the party high command and others. “If there is any final decision, it will be announced through a press release,” he said. BNP Joint Secretary Generals Khairul Kabir Khokon and Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Volunteer Affairs Secretary Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu, Assistant Office Secretary Md Munir Hossain, BNP National Executive Committee member (in charge of office affairs) and Prime Minister’s Research Officer Abdus Sattar Patwari, among others, were present at the press conference.

BNP will hold doa and milad mahfils across the country on Saturday to mark the 81st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The programme was announced in a press release signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday morning. According to the release, the doa and milad mahfils will be held at party offices or mosques across the country. In Dhaka, the programme will begin at 11:00am at the party’s Nayapaltan central office. The party urged its leaders and activists and those of its affiliated organisations to observe the programme with due respect. Khaleda Zia was born on August 15, 1945. She died on December 30 last year. She served as Bangladesh’s prime minister three times and remained BNP chairperson until her death. Khaleda’s elder son Tarique Rahman is currently leading the BNP and serving as Prime Minister after securing a mandate in the 13th parliamentary elections held in February this year.

A new central committee of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) is expected to be announced within the next one or two days, as outgoing President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir posted separate farewell messages on Facebook on Friday, wishing best wishes for the next committee. In his post, Rakib expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah, saying the best chapter of his life is coming to an end in a highly respectful and cordial environment. He expressed gratitude to BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and late BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for giving him the opportunity to serve in the JCD central committee and at Dhaka University for a long period. Rakib also thanked outgoing BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP Student Affairs Secretary Rakibul Islam Bakul, the party's senior leaders and former JCD leaders. He said he personally tried to promote positive student politics on campuses out of special respect for students of all educational institutions. The JCD leader said he paid particular attention to ensuring that no general student faced an unwanted situation on campus because of JCD activists. Even when students outside his organisation approached him with various problems, he tried to resolve them from his position, he said. He also thanked leaders of fellow student organisations for their role in the anti-fascist movement. Assessing the performance of the Rakib-Nasir committee, the outgoing president said its major success was formulating programmes in coordination with the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement during the July uprising and playing an effective and heroic role on the streets. He said after August 5, 2024, they had to confront hundreds of mob incidents at educational institutions while also continuing to lead the organisation despite persistent bullying on social media. Rakib said after leaving office, he wants to start a new life and develop himself into a more refined, humane and honest person. Admitting that nobody is free from mistakes, he said he might also have made mistakes during his long tenure and requested those whom he may have hurt to forgive him. He also expressed hope that everyone will warmly welcome the upcoming new JCD committee. Meanwhile, outgoing JCD General Secretary Nasir said his political career began during the difficult period of the 1/11 political crisis and that, after 17 years of uncertainty, they were now standing in a different Bangladesh. He said the journey has not been easy and has marked by struggle, sacrifice, repression, enforced disappearances and killings. He paid deep respect and expressed gratitude to all leaders and activists who were victims of enforced disappearance, murder and repression during the period, saying their sacrifices had laid the foundation for the organisation's present position. Saying Thursday was his final day as JCD general secretary, Nasir described the end of his tenure as the conclusion of a long, difficult, eventful and glorious chapter. He said more than 2,000 organisational committees were formed during their tenure, describing it as the collective result of the hard work of activists at all levels rather than the achievement of any individual. However, Nasir admitted that there were some shortcomings. He expressed full confidence in the incoming leadership and said he will remain by their side as before if they need him.

Thakurgaon has erupted in celebration following the nomination of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the party’s candidate for the presidential election, with party leaders, activists and many local residents hailing the development as a matter of pride for the district. Processions and sweet distribution were held at different places in the town after the ruling BNP announced his nomination on Thursday. In Thakurgaon, the name Mirza Fakhrul now dominates conversations at tea stalls, political gatherings and on social media. From serving as chairman of Thakurgaon municipality to becoming a central figure in national politics, Mirza Fakhrul has travelled a long political road. His nomination for the presidency has brought a fresh wave of excitement among people in his home district. The celebrations spread from the district BNP office to villages across Thakurgaon. Many locals see the development not merely as the nomination of a politician but as the prospect of someone from their own district occupying the country's highest constitutional office. For many residents, it is also a moment of pride for the northern region. Mirza Fakhrul grew up in Thakurgaon. After completing his higher education in economics at Dhaka University, he worked as a teacher at Dhaka College and government colleges in Dinajpur and Thakurgaon. He later served in senior positions in the education administration before leaving government service in 1988 to enter politics. His career as an elected representative began with his election as chairman of Thakurgaon municipality. He subsequently played a key role in organising BNP in the district before rising through the party's central leadership. Mirza Fakhrul was elected an MP from Thakurgaon-1 constituency in the 2001 general election and later served as a state minister. He eventually became BNP's acting secretary general before being appointed secretary general in 2016. Throughout his political career, he has faced arrests, cases and political challenges while remaining involved in the party's activities. For residents of Thakurgaon, his nomination is therefore being viewed as the culmination of a long political journey. Ramzan Ali, a farmer from Akcha union in Sadar upazila, said the development has brought him immense joy. “Fakhrul is one of our own. After years of struggle and sacrifice, hearing that he is now receiving the country's highest honour has made us very happy,” he said.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar on Thursday blamed the government’s “mismanagement, inefficiency, lack of foresight, widespread corruption and politicisation of various institutions” for the worsening power and gas crisis in the country. In a statement, he expressed deep concern over the severe shortage of electricity and gas and the resulting public suffering, and strongly condemned what he described as the government’s failure to manage the power sector. Porwar said the country has recently been experiencing a severe power and gas crisis, with a significant gap between demand and supply causing widespread public suffering. He said the country was hit by extensive load shedding since August 9. According to the statement, the electricity shortfall stood at 3,671 megawatts on August 9, 3,757MW on August 10, 3,465MW on August 11 and 3,382MW on August 12. “This shows that the country has faced an average power shortage of around 3,500MW in recent days,” the Jamaat leader said, adding that people and the industrial sector were bearing the brunt of the crisis. He also said on Wednesday, gas supply stood at 2,030 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against a demand for 3,800 mmcfd. “The power and gas crisis has reached an extreme level due to the government’s mismanagement, inefficiency, lack of foresight, widespread corruption and politicisation of various institutions,” Porwar said. He said public anger is growing as the energy crisis deepened, referring to a letter sent by the Bangladesh Palli Bidyut Association to the Police Headquarters on Wednesday, seeking enhanced security at 80 rural electrification co-operatives amid the deteriorating situation. The Jamaat secretary general said the move reflects the government’s failure in managing the power sector. Citing media reports, he said Nilphamari in the northern region was receiving 45-55MW against a demand for 80MW, while Kushtia was receiving 85-95MW against a demand for 155MW. “Such a situation exists across the country, prompting power-sector officials to seek enhanced security,” he said. Porwar said the crisis has worsened because the government has failed to take long-term decisions on power management. Production at industries is being disrupted, while people are struggling to carry out routine household activities, including cooking, because of shortages of electricity and gas, he said. Students are also facing disruptions to their studies, he added. “Overall, people’s lives have become miserable,” the Jamaat leader said, accusing the government of failing to take effective measures to address the crisis and describing it as an indication of its irresponsibility towards the people. He expressed concern that the government could further deepen the crisis by providing renewed benefits to old oligarchs in the name of privatising the energy sector. To ease public suffering, Porwar demanded that the government increase gas supplies, stop gas theft in industries, reduce leakage and system losses, formulate necessary policies and facilitate the import of equipment for energy conversion, and take measures to prevent oil smuggling. He also called for arrangements to import crude oil through government or private initiatives and urged the authorities to take effective measures to improve the skills of those involved in electricity generation and distribution. To address the existing crisis and ensure energy security, the Jamaat leader said it is essential to step up domestic gas exploration by bringing in capable foreign partners for onshore reservoir management, including the use of new technologies, as well as drilling new exploration and development wells. “If the government fails to take initiatives to meet the basic and everyday needs of the people, it will have to bear responsibility for any situation that may arise,” he said.