United News of Bangladesh

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday imposed a ban on Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader and his wife Sherifa Quader from traveling abroad amid an ongoing probe into allegations of corruption and money laundering. ACC Director Aktarul Islam said letters were sent to the authorities concerned to enforce the restriction. On March 25, the commission decided to open an inquiry into allegations amassing illegal wealth against Quader in the nomination process for reserved women’s parliamentary seats. According to the ACC, around Tk 18.10 crore was taken in bribes after the 2018 national election in exchange for Jatiya Party nominations for women’s reserved seats. The commission claims that the primary beneficiary was then acting chairman GM Quader. Karnaphuli Tunnel graft: ACC sues Obaidul Quader, Bridge Authority officials As the full payment was not made, Prof. Masuda M Rashid Chowdhury was suspended from her party position and Sherifa Quader was appointed as a lawmaker in her place, it said. The anti-graft body also said that the size of the Jatiya Party’s central committee increased from 301 members to nearly 650, which it described as evidence of “position trading.” ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain said GM Quader laundered money under different names to Singapore, London, and Sydney.

Jatiya Party (JaPa) on Monday appointed its former MP Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary as the party’s new Secretary General, removing Mujibul Haque Chunnu, amid growing tensions within the party ahead of the national council. JaPa Chairman GM Quader, using the authority given to him by the party’s constitution, removed Mujibul Haque Chunnu from the post of Secretary General and appointed Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary to the vacant position, said a party press release. Mujibul Haque Chunnu had been serving as Secretary General since October 9, 2021, following the death of then-Secretary General Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu. Soon after the new appointment, GM Quader also removed three senior party leaders --Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, and Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu -- from all party posts for violating party discipline, said another party press release. PBI to probe Jatiya Party's alleged nomination trade prior to 2024 polls According to the media release, district and city-level party leaders at a meeting held on June 25 raised the allegations of breaching party discipline against the three senior leaders and called for action. Later, on 28 June, a meeting of the party Presidium decided to relieve the three of all party responsibilities. “Exercising the authority given by the party constitution, GM Quader has relieved Senior Co-Chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud, Co-Chairman ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Secretary General Md Mujibul Haque of all party posts, including primary membership,” the press release said. It said the decision has already been put into effect. Shamim Haider Patwary previously served as MP from Gaibandha-1 and is known to be a close associate of Chairman GM Quader. Tensions within the Jatiya Party have worsened, as the party now seems divided into two rival groups over its leadership. The issue became more visible last month after the party announced its upcoming national council. The party earlier planned to hold the national council on June 28 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. However, on June 16, Chairman GM Quader postponed the event, saying the venue was unavailable.  In defiance of this decision, a group of senior leaders led by Co-Chairmen Anisul Islam Mahmud and ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader announced that the council would go ahead as planned. They later withdrew this decision. Meanwhile, Co-Chairmen Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ruhul Amin Hawlader issued a joint statement opposing the appointment of Shamim Haider Patwary. Another Jatiya Party office, this time in Khulna,  vandalised They called the decision highly undemocratic, unconstitutional and a direct violation of the party’s charter. The two leaders accused GM Quader of taking one-sided, autocratic actions, which they warned could seriously harm the party’s future. In their joint statement, they said Mujibul Haque is the party’s legitimate and respected Secretary General. “No appointment or dismissal can be considered valid before the announced national council,” the statement said. They also said removing Mujibul Haque without any reason and appointing Patwary without consultation clearly goes against party discipline and democratic values. “Such a decision breaks down the party’s internal democratic system.”

A Barishal court has ordered police to register a case against leaders and activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad over the vandalism of Jatiya Party’s (JaPa) office in the city. Central President of Gono Odhikar Parishad Nurul Haque Nur and General Secretary Rashed Khan have been named as prime accused in the case filed under the Speedy Trial Act. JaPa’s district General Secretary and lawyer for the case, MA Jalil, said the incident took place on the night of May 31, when Gono Odhikar Parishad activists attacked and vandalised JaPa’s office on Fakirbari Road in the city. “After the incident, our party members went to the police station to file a case, but police refused to accept it. Later, we submitted a written complaint to the court. On Thursday, the court ordered the officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station to record the complaint as a case,” Jalil said. He added that the complaint, along with the court order, was sent to the police station around 11 am. Duty Officer SI Dolly received the documents. Jatiya Party postpones tomorrow’s rally Apart from Nur and Rashed, the case also accuses Gono Odhikar Parishad’s district President HM Shamim Reza, district General Secretary HM Hasan, city General Secretary Farhad Hossain, along with 25 named and 70 to 80 unidentified activists of the party. Reacting to the development, Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Barishal city General Secretary Farhad Hossain said, “We are not aware of any case being filed in court over the vandalism of JaPa’s office. However, if there is such a case, we will face it legally.” Kotwali Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Mizanur Rahman said, “We have not yet received any documents from the court regarding the case. If the duty officer has received them, we will get those in due time.”

A case has been filed against Jatiya Party Chairman GM Qader and 249 others over an alleged attack and attempted murder in Barishal city. The case was filed by Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Senior Vice-President Shafiqul Islam Sagor at the Kotwali Model Police Station on Saturday night, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman said on Sunday. The case named 30 people while the remaining 220 accused were unnamed. The accused in the case are Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader, Secretary General Mojibul Haque Chunnu, Saidul Islam Tapa, Ruhul Amin Howlader, Ratna Amin, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Barrister Aminul Islam Mahmud, Masud Uddin Chowdhury, AKM Selim Osman, Ashrafuzzaman Ashu, Mostafizur Rahman, Shariful Islam Jinnah, MA Jalil, Mohsin ul Islam Habul, Md. Jumman, Mufti Al Mahid and Mahmud Sohel, along with 30 others. According to the case statement, a procession was brought out by Jatiya Party leaders and activists from their party office on Saturday afternoon when they changed derogatory slogans against the Chief Adviser as well as leaders and activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad. SC orders restoration of Jamaat's registration When Gono Odhikar Parishad activists objected to the slogans Jatiya Party activists attacked them with local weapons, iron rods, pistols, batons, and bricks. The complainant claimed that the attackers intended to kill them and that 15–20 Gono Odhikar Parishad activists were injured in the assault.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Tuesday expressed joy after the return of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and expressed the hope that an experienced and popular politician like her would play a significant role in resolving the country’s current crisis. “The country is moving towards a conflicting situation every day. In such a situation, an experienced and popular politician like Begum Khaleda Zia would play a significant role in resolving the current crisis by fostering tolerance, harmony and goodwill among people and building strong unity,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. Jatiya Party postpones tomorrow’s rally He also wished her good health and long life.Khaleda Zia returned home after nearly four months of advanced treatment in London on Tuesday.  

Former lawmaker for the Sylhet-2 constituency and central leader of the Jatiya Party (JP), Yahya Chowdhury, has been released on bail a month after being arrested on charges of attacking students and the public during the July uprising. Chowdhury walked out of Sylhet Central Jail at 5 pm on Wednesday, confirmed Sylhet Central Jail Jailor Md. Sakhawat Hossain. He was arrested in a joint operation by RAB-1 and RAB-9 from the capital’s Uttara on November 12. A case was filed against him at the Sylhet Kotwali Police Station on October 2. Yahya Chowdhury was elected as a Jatiya Party candidate from the Sylhet-2 constituency in the 10th National Parliamentary Election of 2014.  

Amidst calls to ban the Awami League and Jatiya Party, BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Monday stated that it is ultimately up to people to determine whom to accept or reject, through a transparent national election. Speaking at a discussion, he expressed that restoring democracy will serve as a form of retribution for those who have undermined it. “We have been asked to clarify BNP's stance on banning the Awami League and Jatiya Party. Why should the BNP need to clarify its position on this issue?” Gayeshwar questioned. He added that both the people of Bangladesh and the BNP desire the interim government to quickly hold the national election. “People will decide who should be rejected and who should be accepted through the election. So, any imprudent decision will not bring welfare or peace to the country,” he stated. BNP delegation set visit China at Chinese Communist Party’s invitation The Swadhinata Forum, a pro-BNP platform, organised the programme at the Jatiya Press Club to commemorate National Revolution and Solidarity Day on November 7. Gayeshwar, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said that the term ‘reform’ became stigmatised during the 1/11 political changeover due to ulterior motives. He said that while there is widespread support for necessary state reforms, attempts to consolidate power by banning a political party or promoting depoliticisation will not serve the nation’s interests. BNP announces 10-day prog to observe ‘National Revolution and Solidarity Day’ “Those who deserve banning have, in effect, banned themselves and departed from the country; now there is no one to raise their banner or slogans,” he asserted. The BNP leader said political parties should not engage in retribution against each other. “We are fighting for democracy, and the restoration of democracy is the means of taking that revenge on (the Awami League).” He also mentioned that Sheikh Hasina had to leave the country due to her long history of disregarding the law. “After her downfall, how could she abide by the law? If she were not afraid of the law, she would not have left the country; she would have stayed in jail.”

Jatiya Party has postponed its rally in front of its central office in Kakrail tomorrow due to a ban on gatherings imposed by the DMP in the area. The party announced the decision in a statement issued on Friday night, signed by Khandaker Delwar Jalali, JP chief’s press secretary. DMP bans rallies in Dhaka's Kakrail, surrounding areas tomorrow  In the statement, the Jatiya Party said that it will announce further programmes at a later date. “Jatiya Party made this decision respecting the law as Dhaka Metropolitan Police imposed a ban on all meetings, rallies, processions, marches, and demonstrations in Kakrail and surrounding areas on Saturday,” it said in the statement. Earlier on the day the DMP banned all types of public gathering in the capital's Kakrail and surrounding areas hours after Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader said the previously scheduled rally would go ahead as planned tomorrow, despite yesterday’s attack. “We’ll see how far they’ll go to stop us”: GM Quader On Thursday evening, unidentified miscreants set fire to the Jatiya Party (JP) central office in Dhaka's Kakrail area. According to eyewitnesses, a group of individuals—many wearing helmets and armed with sticks—entered the JP office through the main entrance. Chanting slogans, they tore down banners and festoons, vandalized furniture, and then set fire to the building's front and several rooms inside.  

Students on Tuesday staged demonstration early Tuesday protesting the decision of Jatiya Party that had declared Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, top two key coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, ‘persona no grata’ in Rangpur. The agitated students brought out a procession from the Medical intersection of the city around 3:30 am and ended at the same point after parading different streets including Shaheed Mukhter Elahi Chattar and Check-post. Wrongdoers must be tried: Sarjis Alam The protesters were also found chanting different slogans. Later, they held a rally where the representatives of the student movement were present. During the rally, the speakers threatened to build resistance against the Jatiya Party if the party did not seek apology immediately. They also said the Jatiya Party has no jurisdiction to declare Sarjis and Hasnat as persona non grata. Earlier, Co-Chairman of Jatiya Party and former mayor of Rangpur City Corporation, Md Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa declared them as ‘persona non grata’ in Rangpur until they withdraw their statement about Jatiya Party.  

The main opposition Jatiya Party lawmaker Anisul Islam Mahmud on Tuesday (February 13, 2024) demanded the government of Bangladesh put an end to the loan default culture to save the country’s economy. “In this situation, we need to stop the culture of wilful loan default,” he said. Anisul Islam, a veteran parliamentarian and the deputy leader of the opposition, placed the demand in the House, taking the floor on a point of order. Citing a newspaper story, he said the banking sector's defaulted loans soared by over 20 percent to Tk 145,633 crore in 2023 as both governance and accountability continue to get looser. 98 percent of the country's demand for medicine is produced locally: Health Minister “Whenever this issue is being discussed, we are told that Bangladesh Bank and other banks are taking measures to reduce this (defaulted loans). But we never see that defaulted loans are declining, rather it is going higher,” he said. The Jatiya Party MP said the amount of defaulted loans was Tk 28,000 crore as of 2008. The number of defaulted loans has increased to Tk 1.45 lac crore since 2008 to as of today which is very alarming. He said there is a cash crisis and a dollar crisis in the banking sector. Some strong measures have been taken to tackle this situation. With Pahela Falgun-Valentine’s Day, the nation eyes a festive February 14 Anisul said Bangladesh Bank (BB) is telling that they want to reduce the amount of defaulted loans from existing nine percent to eight percent of total outstanding loans.   “But their (BB) track record says that they will not do so,” he continued. The opposition lawmaker requested the Finance Minister to give importance to stopping the loan default culture. “The issue of loan default culture has been discussed in parliament so many times. But nothing has happened,” he added. Govt okays project to provide freelancing training to youths in 48 districts