Politics
BNP forms 3-member committee to probe arson attack at Faridpur temple
BNP has formed a three-member committee to investigate the arson attack on a Madhukhali temple in Faridpur and the brutal torture of two workers of a nearby primary school.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the formation of the committee in a press release.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's standing committee chaired by party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
The meeting expressed concern over the arson attack on April 18 and the brutal beating to death of two workers.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within five days.
BNP vice-chairman Adv Nitai Roy Chowdhury is the convener of the probe committee.
The other members of the committee are BNP chairperson's advisory council member Bijan Kanti Sarkar, organising secretary Shyama Obaid, executive committee member Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal and assistant religious affairs secretary Amalendu Das Apu.
BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo off to Thailand for better treatment
Ailing BNP Vice-chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo left the country for Thailand on Tuesday afternoon for better treatment.
Before that Mintoo was under treatment at capital’s United Hospital. Mintoo’s physicians suggested he go to Thailand for better treatment. He may get admission Thailand Bumrungrad Hospital.
Heatwave: BNP postpones Friday’s rally in Dhaka
BNP media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan has confirmed the matter.
Last Saturday Abdul Awal Mintoo, also a renowned businessman of the country, suddenly fell sick and was immediately admitted to United Hospital.
Mahbub Uddin Khokon relieved from post in pro-BNP lawyers' collective
According to family sources, on Friday night after participating in a wedding programme he returned home. Then he went to bed to sleep and felt severe pain in his chest. At one point after he is said to have fainted. In these circumstances, he was rushed to hospital.
Mintoo’s eldest son, BNP leader Tabith Awal said doctors apprehend he may have suffered from cardiac complications.
BNP leader Habib walks out of jail
The 74-year-old Abdul Awal Mintoo is the founder of Multimode Group. He also served the businessmen apex organization Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) as a president.
US HR report exposes Hasina govt’s injustice, brutality: Rizvi
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday said the 2023 Human Rights Report released by the US has exposed the "injustice and brutality” of Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh.
“The report expressed deep concern over the horrific human rights violations in Bangladesh, including the incidents of enforced disappearance, assassination and torture. It has also pointed out that the citizens’ right to bring a change in the government through a free and fair election has been taken away,” he said.
Heatwave: BNP postpones Friday’s rally in Dhaka
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, Rizvi said the US report objectively depicted the deteriorating human rights situation in Bangladesh, including the arrest of opposition leaders and obstruction to their peaceful gatherings.
He said a certain truth regarding the human right condition in Bangladesh has come out in the report by highlighting the visible incidents of injustice and cruelty.
The BNP leader said Robert S Gilchrist, senior official in the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, described Bangladesh’s human rights situation as alarming during the briefing on the human rights report.
Mahbub Uddin Khokon relieved from post in pro-BNP lawyers' collective
He said Gilchrist also mentioned that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was removed from the electoral process through plots.
Rizvi said 15 cases were filed against Sheikh Hasina while only four cases were filed against Khaleda Zia during 1/11 political changeover.
When Sheikh Hasina came to power, he alleged that all the 15 cases against her were hurriedly withdrawn while Khaleda was convicted in the ‘false’ cases using the judiciary.
“We talked about these things many times…it has now come up in US reports. People used to believe that Begum Khaleda Zia was a victim of political vengeance of the government…the democratic world has now pointed it out through their very objective observation,” the BNP leader said.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of State released the 2023 Human Rights Report, which the US Embassy described as a "factual and objective" record on the status of respect for human rights worldwide.
AL govt is afraid of BNP, lacks popular support: Rizvi
The 2023 Human Rights Report (HRR) covers 198 countries and territories.
There were reports of widespread impunity for human rights abuses like extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detentions, restrictions on freedom of expression and media and peaceful assembly, said the report in its Bangladesh chapter.
In most cases, it claimed, the government did not take credible steps to identify and punish officials or security force members who may have committed human rights abuses.
Rizvi said BNP has long been reportedly talking about the repression, brutality, enforced disappearances, murders and other misdeeds of the government.
“There is nothing more now to hide in a bag. The incidents of injustice, bloodshed and various misdeeds by Sheikh Hasina are slowly coming out to the democratic world. The entire world is condemning it," he said.
Boycott of Indian products to continue: Zainul Abedin Farroque
BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council Member Zainul Abedin Farroque on Monday said that the movement of boycotting Indian products is going on in the country, and will continue.
He said this in a human chain programme demanding the restoration of the caretaker government and boycotting Indian products, organized by Jatiyatabadi Nobin Dal, that was held in front of Jatiya Press Club on Monday.
“We are not against the people of India. There are also lower income and pro-democratic people who are struggling to restore democracy in India. We are against those who are supporting an illegal government in Bangladesh. Our movement against boycotting Indian products will continue indefinitely.”
We have fought against Pakistani ruler to restore democracy in the country. Our spirit of independence was to make a country for all people. We defeated 22 families during Pakistan era but now two lakh families are destroying our achievement of independence, he said.
“We recognize India as a good friend of Bangladesh as they stood beside us during our liberation war. They helped us to get freedom from Pakistan but India now supporting sa government who imposed an undemocratic ruling on pro-democratic people. India’s support for this autocratic regime is unacceptable to us,” he added.
Heatwave: BNP postpones Friday’s rally in Dhaka
BNP on Monday postponed its public rally scheduled to be held on Friday (April 26) due to the ongoing severe heatwave sweeping over the country.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s Dhaka South City unit held at Bhasani Bhaban in the city’s Nayapaltan area, said a press release.It also said a fresh schedule for the rally will be announced when the temperature comes to a tolerable level.At the meeting, Dhaka South City unit BNP convenor Abdus Salam urged the party leaders and activists at all levels to stand by the people to assuage the sufferings caused by the extreme heatwave across the country.
Earlier, BNP planned to hold a public rally in the capital on April 26, demanding the release of its Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other imprisoned leaders.
The rally was supposed to be held in front of the party's Nayapaltan central office at 2:30pm.
Mahbub Uddin Khokon relieved from post in pro-BNP lawyers' collective
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon has been relieved of his post in the pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum (Nationalist Lawyers Forum, or NLF), where he was serving as senior vice-president. .
The action was taken against him for taking charge as the newly elected president of the SCBA for the 2024-25 term, having won the post through an election that was nevertheless renounced as illegitimate by the opposition at large. Overall, the pro-AL panel won 10 of the 14 posts that were up for grabs, including the post of general secretary.
But the top post of president, and three other committee posts, were won by the pro-BNP panel's candidates. Mahbub Uddin Khokon himself renounced the election, even after being announced as the winner of the presidency. That did leave the matter of whether he would ultimately take up his post in the air, and create room for speculation.
Eventually the NLF called a joint meeting on March 24, and passed a resolution that no member of the body, i.e. Barrister Khokon and three others elected as committee members to run SCBA, would refrain from taking up the posts that they happened to come by via a farcical electoral process.
The decision of the NLF was communicated to Khokon and the others individually, in letters dated March 27.
Yet in what can only be described as open defiance of the decision of the NLF, Barrister Khokon did take charge as the elected president of the organisation on April 4. Notably, the other three elected to committee posts did follow the forum's diktat.
"It means he is guilty of ignoring the BNP lawyers body’s restriction pronounced in this regard, and thus violating its discipline as well," the NLF said, in a press release signed by its office secretary Md Ziaur Rahman.
The letter mentioned that although the victory of the entire panel put forward by the NLF was certain in the SCBA elections held on March 6-7, "only Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon was declared the SCBA president and three others were shown winners in member posts in a bid to justify the rigged polls."
Voting for the SCBA election was held on March 6-7, to elect a new executive committee for the 2024-25 period.
People have no interest in BNP’s negative activities: Quader
Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said people rejected BNP time and again for their negative activities.
“People have no interest in the negative activities of BNP, rather they have one kind of hatred towards BNP. So, people rejected them again and again,” he said.
BNP's ‘wrong’ political strategy has left its leadership perpetually embroiled in conspiracies: Quader
The AL general secretary said this in a statement sent to the media to protest and condemn the ‘ill-motivated, ugly and misleading’ remarks of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
He said BNP leaders want to take the people back to the days of their misrule.
“Bangladesh Awami League is taking the country and its people forward through unprecedented development and positive changes. Seeing that, BNP can’t tolerate it, “he added.
Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said since all the conspiracies hatched and conducted jointly by BNP and its allies have failed on different occasions, they are trying to become more desperate and are trying to instigate the people of the country spreading confusion among them.
Upazila parishad polls to be held in free, fair environment: Quader
Noting that Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called upon the people to shake the state machinery, the AL leader said BNP itself is in turmoil politically. BNP is exhausted, getting trembled and stumbled on the way of a failed political trend, he claimed.
He said this shake is the tremor of frequent defeats. “The BNP leaders have lost their sense, getting plunged into the depths of despair. Day by day they are making the country, state and people into their enemies,” he added.
Quader said the current government has been working relentlessly under the efficient and strong leadership of Sheikh Hasina in improving the fate of the country’s people.
He said Bangladesh Awami League has come to (power) run the country for the fourth consecutive time because people wanted it.
CHT situation to be normal soon: Quader
The AL government has been working with priority for the welfare of people, he said, adding that AL has established the perception that the government is the servant of the people in Bangladesh.
Citing that AL is a political organization representing the people of the country, Quader said so, the evil forces that take a position against the country and the people will automatically be considered as strong opponents or enemies of AL.
BNP leader Habib walks out of jail
Habbiur Rahman Habib, a member of the advisory council to BNP Chairperson, was freed from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on Sunday after more than five months.
BNP continuously trying to destroy democracy, election system: Hasan Mahmud
He walked out of the prison this noon, said party's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
After the release, BNP cental leaders including Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and Krishak Dal President Hasan Jafir Tuhin and activists welcomed him with flowers in front of the prison gate.
BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo hospitalised
Later, Habib went to the BNP central office at Naya Paltan where Rizvi greeted him with flowers.
On November 20, 2023, members of RAB arrested Habib from a house in the capital's Mirpur DOHS area.
In October last year, he was sentenced to 4 years in a sabotage case.
AL govt is afraid of BNP, lacks popular support: Rizvi
After October 28, he was summoned by the court for making 'derogatory' remarks about a justice of High Court.
Later, the court sentenced him to five months for not withdrawing his statement.
BNP continuously trying to destroy democracy, election system: Hasan Mahmud
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said BNP has continuously been trying to destroy the political system through their efforts to destroy democracy and the election system.
“They (BNP) have been continuously trying to destroy the democracy and election system,” he told reporters, highlighting BNP’s destructive role in the last three national elections.
The foreign minister made the remarks while responding to a question during a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of the state visit of Qatar’s Emir.
Spirit of Independence Dr Zafrullah fought for absent from country, says Fakhrul
Hasan, also Awami league joint general secretary, said the BNP killed people and carried out arson attacks on people and property in an effort to destroy democracy and the election system in the country.
He said they want BNP to make a turnaround but BNP has failed to do that. “It’s very unfortunate for the BNP.”
Spirit of Independence Dr Zafrullah fought for absent from country, says Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said that there is not even the faintest trace of the spirit of the independence in the country that the late Dr Zafrullah fought for.
He said it in a commemoration programme to mark Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury’s first death anniversary held at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in capital’s Ramna area.
”Dr Zafrullah never felt disappointed, loser in any issue. He was always optimistic and believes the power of youth. He always welcomed the changes. He struggled for lifetime to established the motto of the independence off Bangladesh. He dreamed for a new world. He was ultimately a revolutionary.”
To that end Dr Zafrullah attained the liberation war, founded Gonoshasthaya Kendra, accumulated the patriot people, Fakhrul said.
Fakhrul said Dr Zafrullah is one of the most distinguished persons in the country who should always be remembered by the nation.
We are now passing a hard time like serious economic crisis, political vacuum said Mirza Fakhrul further adding that we the political activists, workers are trying our best to get rid of from this situation. We are facing suppression, tortured, some have sacrificed their lives, but failed to remove the monster.
Economist Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Professor Dr Asif Nazrul, Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, Brotee’s CEO Sharmeen Murshid and others spoke in the programme.