Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
Mirza Fakhrul turns 77; family greets him at Dhaka Central Jail
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir turned 77 on Friday with birthday greetings by the family members at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
Fakhrul’s wife Rahat Ara Begum along with his younger daughter Mirza Safaruh and sister Najma Kalam met him at the central jail at noon and greeted him with happy birthday there, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.
He said the family members took Mirza Fakhrul's favourite food and a cake to the jail on his birthday. They spent around 45 minutes with the BNP leader in the jail.
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Contacted, Rahat Ara said they became upset after meeting Fakhrul as his health condition is not good.
“He lost five kg of weight as he is sick. So I feel sad to see him in such poor health condition,” she said.
Fakhrul’s wife urged the country’s people to pray for her ailing husband.
Fakhul has been staying in jail since he was arrested on October 29, a day after violent clashes between the police and BNP leaders and activists centring the party’s grand rally in the capital’s Nayapaltan area.
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Fakhrul was born on January 26, 1948 in Thakurgaon. His father late Mirza Ruhul Amin was a Muslim League leader and a minister of the Pakistan government.
Fakhrul, who had involvement with left politics during his student life, completed his graduation and post-graduation from Dhaka University's Economics department.
Later, he took up teaching as his profession through the BCS examination. Fakhrul quit teaching during the 80s and joined politics formally.
He was elected MP from Thakurgaon-1 with BNP's ticket in 2001 and then made a state minister. He was also elected MP from Bogura-6 seat in the 11th parliamentary election. But he did not take oath yet as the BNP rejected the election results.
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Fakhrul was made acting secretary general of BNP after the death of the party's then-secretary general. Khandaker Delwar Hossain, in 2011. He was given the full charge of the party's secretary general position five years later in 2016.
8 months ago
SC upholds HC order to dispose of Fakhrul’s bail pleas
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a High Court order that directed the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate to accept and dispose of the bail petitions of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in connection with 10 cases.
Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, passed the order following a petition filed by the state challenging the HC order.
The Chamber Judge also sent the petition to its full bench and fixed January 15 to hear in this regard.
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Senior lawyer Zainul Abedin , A M Mahbub Uddin Khokan, and Advocate Sagir Hossain Leon appeared in the court on behalf of Mirza Fakhrul, while Attorney General A M Amin Uddin, Deputy Attorney General Md Sarwar Hossain and Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state.
Eleven cases were filed at Paltan and Ramna police stations on charges of vandalism and attack on the Chief Justice's residence during a BNP rally on October 28.
Of them, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain why Fakhrul should not be granted bail in a case filed over the attack on the Chief Justice's residence.
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He sought bail in the remaining 10 cases. But on December 12, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court of Dhaka rejected the bail petitions.
Later, a writ petition was filed with the HC on December 14.
Following the petition, a High Court bench on December 18 directed the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Courts in Dhaka to accept and dispose of the bail petitions of BNP Secretary General in the nine cases as Mirza Fakhrul was shown arrested in one of the cases filed with Paltan police.
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The BNP secretary general was arrested in a case on October 29.
Later, a bail petition was filed with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka. The court sent him to jail rejecting his bail petition.
10 months ago
BNP leader Fakhul's bail plea denied in case over vandalising chief justice's residence
A Dhaka court today (November 22, 2023) rejected the bail plea of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case filed over vandalising the chief justice's residence during his party’s grand rally on October 28.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court’s Acting Judge Foysal Atique Bin Quader passed the order after hearing the bail plea placed by Fakhrul's lawyers.
Though there was a schedule to hold the hearing of the bail plea on November 20, the court later deferred it till November 22 after the state counsel had filed a petition seeking time.
Read: Authorities in foreign countries alerted about rumormongers against Bangladesh: Hasan Mahmud
On November 2, Advocate Joynul Abedin filed a petition seeking bail for the BNP leader. The court fixed November 20 for the hearing.
On October 30, a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate sent Fakhrul to jail in the case after the investigating officer produced him before it with a plea to keep him in jail in connection with the case.
The Detective Branch (DB) of police detained Fakhrul from his Gulshan residence on October 29.
Read: Fakhrul’s bail hearing deferred till Nov 22
Nearly 10 hours after his detention, Mirza Fakhrul was shown arrested in the case.
Fakhrul, among 59 leaders and activists of BNP, was accused in the case filed with Ramna Police Station.
10 months ago
Dengue becomes epidemic due to rampant corruption in health sector: BNP
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that the dengue outbreak has turned epidemic in the country because of rampant corruption in the health sector.
"The government has miserably failed to prevent dengue due to its incompetence and corruption,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, the BNP leader also said the people all over Bangladesh are grappling with dengue fever amid the inaction of the Dhaka North and South City Corporations.
“The dengue situation has now reached epidemic proportions due to all-pervasive corruption in the health sector. Dengue epidemic has broken all previous records this year,” Fakhrul said.
He lamented that that deaths caused by dengue have long been becoming the main headlines in the media as an average of 20 people are dying every day.
The total number of dengue deaths and cases this year reached 716 and 1, 45,335 respectively as of Saturday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Among the fatalitie and cases, 342 deaths and 71,976 cases were recorded in August alone.
Fakhrul said the dengue has spread rapidly this year due to the government’s apathy and the use of low quality insecticides to kill Aedes mosquitoes.
“We don't know how many patients are suffering from dengue fever…it’s easy to guess the actual number of patients…that would be several times higher (than the government’s statistics,” he observed.
The BNP leader said the dengue started spreading in the country since 2000 while the disease turned deadly in 2018.”The children are now the worst affected. The queue of dead bodies is increasing. But the government is least bothered about it. There’s no initiative to contain the dengue outbreak.
He also depicted the picture of corruption of ``thousands of crores'' in the name of dengue prevention by Dhaka North and South City Corporations.
Fakhrul slammed the government for increasing the prices of medical equipment and treatment materials to prevent dengue.
The BNP Secretary General urged their party leaders and workers to come forward to control the dengue situation and stand beside the affected people.
1 year ago
AL bamboozled by BNP movement's googly: Fakhrul
Claiming that the ruling Awami League was clean bowled by their movement's 'googly', BNP Secretry General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday noted "much progress" towards the party's aim of achieving victory on the streets.
“There is another spin (in cricket) called googly by which the batsman is bowled out with the stumps or the middle stump uprooted before he understands anything. Awami League was completely bowled out by BNP’s googly on (July) 28th and 29th,” Fakhrul said while speaking at a protest rally at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan.
The BNP leader also claimed that braving rain and scorching heat, nearly five million (50 lakh) people attended their party’s grand rally at Nayapaltan on July 28, coming to the capital from all over the country, from 'Teknaf to Tetulia'.
Also read: Dhaka North AL unit presses ahead with indefinite protest rally
“People thronging that rally gave a message to Hasina to step down immediately,” the BNP leader observed.
He said they had given a simple programme of sit-ins at the entry points of the capital instead of hartal or blockade the next day (July 29), but hundreds of law enforcers equipped with arms and armoured vehicles, together with the ruling party ‘goons’. took positions at the entry points of Dhaka getting paranoid about their programme: “They opened fire on innocent and unarmed people and utterly repressed them.”
He said the worst thing was that the police beat BNP senior leaders Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Amanullah Aman by throwing them on the streets. “Later, they prepared the script and made stories and videos. Such a blackmailer the regime is!”
The BNP leader said those who do not share connections with the people resort to such blackmail and contrived stories. “People didn't accept their stories. Have those stories belittled our leaders Gayeshwar Babu and Amanullah Aman? You, who created such dirty dramas, have been disgraced.”
Also read: Attacks on sit-ins: BNP’s protest rally begins at Suhrawardy Udyan
Reiterating their party’s demand for holding the next election under a non-partisan government, Fakhrul said they do not want any election under Sheikh Hasina and her government: “We want elections under a caretaker government. If our demand is not accepted in a straight way, then it will be settled on the streets. We’ve come a long way and our victory is certain."
The BNP leader said the AL government will no longer be able to cling to power as it has lost the ground beneath its feet. “This regime is now so scared that they have arrested 1200/1300 people from a programme and prosecuted and injured them," he said.
He said they will soon announce the next course of action for their one-point movement after discussions with other opposition parties.
Fakhrul demanded the release of the recently arrested BNP leaders and activists and the withdrawal of the ‘false’ cases filed against them.
Stating that the government has lost support both at home and abroad, he said Awami League usurped power twice by circumventing fair and credible elections, thus deceiving the country's people.
Also read: Opposition movement is welcome, but won't tolerate arson violence: PM Hasina
Fakhrul ridiculed the visit of a foreign election monitoring delegation with no known track record in the field and comprising some members from the US, China, Japan, and Ireland. Referring to them, the BNP leader said the government hired a few people from abroad.
“One of them came from the US. He went to the Election Commission and told the media that the caretaker government system would not work here. Wah! Who are you brother? No one knows him," Fakhrul chided.
He said the government just hired an American citizen to make such a remark. “They (govt) did it before the last election…this is a bluff to fool people. The government has become so weak that it brought such nameless people to say that elections will be held under them, not under caretaker.''
Fakhrul said the country’s people have taken a decision that no election will be held under Sheik Hasina and her government. He said for the first time in Bangladesh's history, both the leftist and right-wing parties have united to reject elections under the current regime.
The BNP leader said the government must quit and dissolve parliament to pave the way for holding the next polls under a non-party neutral administration.
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BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas said the current government has outdone all previous repressive regimes, including that of Ayub Khan in the Pakistan era, in terms of repressing and suppressing people.
He said the government has now started arresting BNP leaders and workers wholesale to foil their movement. But he warned it would be of no use:“You won't be able to resist this movement, no matter how many leaders and activists you arrest. We’re not afraid of getting arrested. BNP is not a party of cowards. Our leaders and activists are being arrested when they go to the market and even when they go to pray in the mosques. The movement will continue, no matter how much you torture us. The people have taken an oath that no one will return home until the fall of this government.”
Another BNP standing committee member, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, said their sit-in programme at different key points of the capital on Saturday was completely peaceful.
“But astonishingly the police and the ruling party cadres attacked our leaders and activists by violating the people’s constitutional rights…they beat one of our standing committee members like a snake,” he said, referring to the police treatment of Gayeshwar Chandra Roy.
As part of the party’s countrywide programme, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units arranged the rally at the historic venue to protest the “oppression” on the party leaders and workers during their Saturday’s sit-in programme at different entrances of the capital.
Hundreds of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies from different city areas participated in the rally amid the presence of a huge number of law enforcers all around the venue.
In the wake of attacks on the party’s sit-in on Saturday, Mirza Fakhrul announced the countrywide protest rallies. BNP’s all district and city units also organised a similar programme.
BNP’s sit-in programme at the key entry points of Dhaka on Saturday was marred by clashes and violence, leaving an unspecified number of people injured.
1 year ago
Awami League must not come to power again as it is against independence, democracy: Fakhrul
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that the government has been working against independence and it should not be allowed to come to power again in any way.
“ It’s a matter of regret and shame that Awami League has taken a stance against independence now. During the Liberation War our aim and expectation was to establish a democratic society, multi-party state system which Awami League has destroyed and returning to one-party rule as following their previous technique,” he said.
Now their stance is against independence, against democracy and against the people of the country, said Fakhrul at a programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Thursday.
Bhashani Onusari Parishad organized the event marking former minister Sunil Kumer Gupto’s 15 the death anniversary.
Fakhrul came up with the remarks a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that arson terrorist BNP-Jamaat alliance, the killers, the anti-liberation forces and war criminals must not come to power again in this land (Bangladesh),” she said.
The prime minister said this on Tuesday while speaking at a civic reception accorded to her at Ritz Carlton hotel in Washington.
The BNP leader also criticized the government for its stance not to repeal the Digital Security Act.” When all are demanding cancellation of the law you are boasting that it would not be cancelled.”
“ Why it should not be cancelled? You are using this(Digital Security Act) as an weapon which you don’t want to lose,” he added.
“But you should not forget that the people of the country achieved independence though the Liberation War in 1971, they ousted the autocratic government through mass upsurge in 1990. Now the people of the country have started a movement and democracy will win through this movement,” said Fakhrul.
Read more: Arson terrorists, killers must not grab power again: PM Hasina
He said that they country will have no existence if the anti-liberation, anti-democracy force comes to power again.
“ For this reason we have started a simultaneous movement with all the political parties who love the country. We have created hope among people across the country. With this hope, we’ll have to free the country, protect independence and restore people’s rights ,” he added.
Covenor of Bhashani Onusari Parishad Sheikh Rafiqul Islam chaired the event.
Though the event was supposed to be held at the Jatiya Press Club later club authorities cancelled the permission.
Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) President Mostafa Jamal Haidar, Gono Forum General Secretary Subrata Chowdhury, BNP Chairperson’s Advisor Council Member Bijon Kanti Sarkar, among others, spoke at the event.
1 year ago
Govt's 'pampering' leads law enforcers to murder one after another: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that the members of the law enforcement agencies have been carrying out 'one murder after another due to pampering by the government'.
“A simple woman who was working and raising her son in Naogaon was picked up and brutally tortured and killed (by RAB). Now they are denying it,” he said.
Speaking at an iftar party, the BNP leader also said the law enforcers are indulging in extrajudicial killings by obeying the illegal orders of the current regime which is not elected by the people.
“Even after the US sanctions on RAB, the government did not take any action against the officials (of RAB). So, they’re pampered to carry out such murder one after another,” Fakhrul observed.
He also alleged that the incumbent ‘usurper’ Awami League government has been suppressing the country’s people by resorting to various forms of repression, killing and enforced disappearance for over a decade to materialise its dream of establishing 'one-party Baksal rule'.
Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal organised the iftar party at the Ladies Club in the city’s Eskaton Area.
Sultana Jasmine, a union-level land employee in Naogaon, died in RAB custody on March 24. RAB claimed that Sultana Jesmin was picked up for interrogation on charges of fraudulence, but she fell ill and died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Fakhrul said their party’s 17 leaders and activists sacrificed their lives on the streets during their current movement for the restoration of democracy, people’s voting and all other democratic rights that have been lost.
Besides, he said 35 lakh people associated with BNP have been implicated in ‘false’ cases while around 600 people were made to disappear and several thousand others were killed by the current government. “This’s a monstrous regime and we must remove it immediately,” Fakhrul said.
The BNP leader said the country’s people and the political parties are now united to oust the Awami League government through a strong simultaneous movement.
Read more: US sanctions on RAB made BNP fearless in anti-government protests: Fakhrul
“We believe that through a united movement of the people, this monstrous fascist government will be removed and a government of the people will be established in the country,” he said.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, vice chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Barkatullah Bulu, Ahmed Azam Khan, AZM Zahid Hossain, chairperson’s adviser Abdus Salam and Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna, among others, joined the programme.
1 year ago
BNP's movement to continue with programmes through Ramadan
As part of the party’s decision to continue its movement, BNP on Friday announced fresh programmes, including sit-in and mass campaign, from the metropolitan city to union levels to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
The programme is also meant for registering the party’s protest against the rise in the prices of power, gas and essential items and the Awami League government’s all-pervasive corruption.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme at an iftar party at the Ladies Club in the city.
As part of the programme, the party will stage a sit-in from 2pm to 4pm on April 1 in all metropolitan cities and districts towns.
Also Read: Fakhrul has no say in BNP’s internal politics: Quader
Besides, a similar programme will be observed from 3pm to 5pm on April 8 at all thanas in metropolitan cities and at all upazilas in the districts.
1 year ago
Fakhrul has no freedom of expression inside BNP: Quader
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has no freedom of expression in his party’s internal politics as the party is run on the prescription of a convicted fugitive.
“We understand the pain of Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir. In fact, Mirza Fakhrul has no freedom of expression in the internal politics of BNP. Fakhrul Saheb is forced to accept the decision, which is descended from far London, staying mum,” the AL leader said in a statement.
Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, alleged that the committees are formed and dissolved, expulsion and reward are fixed, and business centering committees and nomination is done, in undemocratic ways going against the charter.
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Protesting Fakhrul’s recent remarks regarding the people’s freedom of speech and freedom of expression, he said Fakhrul has captured the people’s freedom of speech and his freedom of expression in his party’s internal politics in a single frame.
“So, Mirza Fakhrul is indulging in a grudge against the government like a parrot,” said the AL general secretary.
He said Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina has been running the government, keeping public aspirations and expectations in mind in a bid to ensure the welfare of the people.
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All the endeavors of the government are being conducted, not to keep the people silent rather to fulfill the public aspirations and expectation, he said, criticizing the BNP’s past regime for its misrules.
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“We are united under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina to establish a developed-prosperous, human-welfare and smart Bangladesh for the next generation. Victory will be ours, Inshallah,” said Obaidul Quader.
1 year ago
We'll soon win in anti-govt movement: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said they will become victorious soon together with people in their ongoing anti-government movement for the restoration of people’s voting and other rights.
“We’ve initiated the movement not to come to power as our goal is to turn Bangladesh into a truly modern welfare state so that people can get back their all rights. We also launched the movement to ensure justice, equality, and remove equality,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader also said they made good progress in their current movement. “The language we see in the eyes of ordinary people and their strong desire and determination give us inspiration and courage to move forward every day. I believe very soon we will win this struggle with the people of Bangladesh."
Also Read: AL destroys electoral system by “so-called” SCBA polls, says BNP demanding fresh vote
'Arpan Bangladesh', a voluntary organisation, arranged programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) in memory of the opposition leaders and activists who were killed recently in the ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy and demanding the unconditional release of the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The voluntary organisation also provided the family members of slain opposition leaders and activists with gifts ahead of Ramadan.
Fakhrul said he joins the progarmmes for the family members of the victims of enforced disappearance and killing with a very heavy heart. “I have been attending such events for the last 15 years. “When I come to such programmes I feel sad and they (victims' families) also feel the same. But so far we have not been able to do much for them.”
Pointing at the victims’ family members, he said, “You have lost husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers. The history of human civilization says that such supreme sacrifice will never go in vain. Their blood and the tears of their mothers can never go in vain.”
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Fakhrul said they liberated the country by waging a war against the Pakistani occupation forces as they snatched the rights of people, destroyed democracy, and denied handing over power to an elected government. “We also fought to get a democratic Bangladesh. “We won that battle. Unfortunately, we are again fighting and giving our lives to get that democracy back.”
He said freedom fighters never imagined a Bangladesh where there is no human dignity, security of life, freedom of expression, voting rights, and justice.
Fakhrul said the lawyers who were subjected to attacks went to the Chief Justice on Thursday seeking his initiative to resolve the problem that emerged over the Supreme Court Bar Association. "He (Chief Justices) told them he would do if he has any option to do anything. Then, where will we go, to whom will we go, and where will the people of the country go?
1 year ago