United News of Bangladesh

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday underscored the importance of an independent and responsible media in strengthening democracy, ensuring good governance and building a just society. He made the remarks while exchanging views with members of the executive committee of Thakurgaon Press Club at his residence during his two-day visit to the district. The President urged grassroots journalists to faithfully reflect the voices, concerns and aspirations of people particularly those living in rural and marginalised communities. Thakurgaon journalist leaders raised various issues and demands concerning district-level journalists, including expansion of Thakurgaon Press Club building, more funding for the Journalist Welfare Trust to support local journalists who faced persecution during the Awami League government, and the formation of a Wage Board for journalists. The President assured them that he would discuss their problems and demands with the authorities concerned and take necessary measures. He also stressed the importance of unity among journalists. President Mirza Fakhrul said division among journalists is one of the major reasons behind their present difficulties and urged them to overcome their differences. “Today, there is division everywhere. It is not only in Thakurgaon but also in Dhaka. Such division is not desirable. Opportunists take advantage of it,” he said. President’s Press Secretary Sarwar Alam, Thakurgaon Press Club President Lutfor Rahman Mithu, General Secretary Tanvir Hasan Tanu, government officials concerned and representatives of the Press Club’s executive committee were present.  

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir arrived in Thakurgaon on Sunday afternoon on a two-day visit, his first tour to his home district since assuming office. A helicopter carrying the President landed at Thakurgaon Mohammad Ali Stadium at 1:00pm. Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Md Shahidul Islam, Thakurgaon Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Rafiqul Huq, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Rangpur Range) Mohammad Abdul Mabud, Superintendent of Police Md Belal Hossain, Thakurgaon district BNP President Mirza Faisal Amin and General Secretary Paigam Ali welcomed the President at the helipad.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Sunday paid a courtesy call on President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban and invited him to visit China at a mutually convenient time on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting held at Bangabhaban in the afternoon, the Chinese envoy briefed the President on the significant progress made during the recent visit of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister to China. He said notable progress had been made, as part of the visit, on laying the foundation stone of the China Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ), signing a commercial agreement for the modernisation of Mongla Port, and possible Chinese cooperation in establishing the Mongla Export Processing Zone (EPZ). The President said the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s recent visit to China would further broaden and facilitate the friendly relations between the two countries. In response, Ambassador Yao said around 30 Chinese companies are expected to invest about USD 500 million in the CEIZ, creating an estimated 100,000 employment opportunities for local people in Bangladesh. The two sides also held fruitful discussions on various issues of mutual interest, including the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, early commencement of a strategic dialogue at the foreign minister level, and the initiative to launch “2+2” diplomatic and defence dialogue at the state minister level. They also discussed initiating the process of exporting jackfruit, mangoes and guavas from Bangladesh to China, cooperation in solar energy, setting up electric vehicle assembly plants, the China-Bangladesh-Myanmar economic corridor, and strengthening bilateral cooperation to address the Rohingya crisis. The Chinese ambassador particularly recalled President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s visit to China in April when he was serving as the LGRD Minister. He recalled and thanked the President for his meeting with IDCPC Minister Liu Haixing during that visit, as well as the handover of rare photographs and video footage showing Liu Haixing’s father, Liu Shuquing, presenting his credentials to then-President Ziaur Rahman in August 1980. During the meeting, both sides expressed their resolve to further strengthen the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and China and take the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to new heights.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday pledged to ensure justice for victims of enforced disappearances, saying Bangladesh would never again allow “Aynaghar” or secret detention centres to exist. “Let me state clearly as the President of Bangladesh: there will be no more  ‘Aynaghar’ in this independent Bangladesh. No mother will have to shed tears waiting for her child, and no wife will have to wait for her husband,” he said. The President was addressing a discussion marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka. He said all perpetrators involved in enforced disappearances would be brought before the law and face the highest punishment as per law. The President also stressed that the state’s responsibility would not end with punishing the perpetrators. “The state must also assume responsibility for the dignity, social security, healthcare, education, livelihoods and rehabilitation of families who have endured years of uncertainty, financial hardship and mental suffering while waiting for their loved ones,” he said. Recalling the victims of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world, the President expressed deep sympathy for their families who have spent years waiting for the return of their loved ones. He described enforced disappearance as not an ordinary crime but a crime against humanity and a grave violation of human rights. Jamaat Ameer shares harsh experiences of 'Aynaghar' “Enforced disappearance does not merely take away a person. It takes away the happiness, peace, dreams and economic and social security of their loved ones,” he said. Referring to the past 15 years, the President said enforced disappearances, secret detention centres and killings were used to silence those who protested against injustice, expressed dissent or demanded democratic rights. He said state institutions under the previous “fascist government” repeatedly denied such serious crimes. The President recalled the cases of BNP leader Ilias Ali, ward commissioner Chowdhury Alam and ward-level BNP leader Sajedul Islam Sumon, among others, saying their families continued to live with pain, uncertainty and expectation. President Fakhrul also referred to lawyer Barrister Arman, retired Lieutenant General Azmi and many dissidents, officials, writers, journalists, social workers, homemakers and ordinary citizens who were kept in the secret detention facility known as “Aynaghar” for years. Some victims fortunately returned, while many others have never come back, he said. The President said the culture of enforced disappearances and killing created an atmosphere of fear and terror in a country that was liberated in 1971 through the sacrifices of freedom fighters who fought for democracy, equality, freedom of expression and human dignity.  

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday stressed the need to expand and make more effective alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and village court systems to help reduce the growing backlog of cases. He made the remarks when Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban. During the meeting, the Chief Justice congratulated Mirza Fakhrul on assuming office as the President. He briefed the President on various activities of the Supreme Court, court proceedings and the challenges facing the judiciary. President’s Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam provided UNB with the details of the meeting. The Chief Justice highlighted various problems facing the judiciary, including a growing backlog of cases, shortage of skilled manpower and infrastructural constraints, and sought the President’s cooperation in addressing them. He said more cases are being filed every day than the number being disposed of, making it increasingly difficult to reduce the backlog. Mirza Fakhrul assured the Chief Justice of taking necessary steps to address the existing problems in the judiciary. The President’s Secretary, Military Secretary and Press Secretary were present at the meeting.

Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will be sworn in as the 23rd President of Bangladesh this evening. The oath-taking ceremony will be held at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7:30pm. Acting Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal will administer the oath of the office of the President, according to Bangabhaban. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, cabinet members, and hundreds of distinguished guests are expected to attend the event. BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul was elected the President defeating his lone rival Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, the candidate of the 11-party opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, in the presidential election held on Thursday. Out of all 343 valid votes, Mirza Fakhrul secured 255, while Oli Ahmad got 88. Among the 349 voters, six lawmakers did not vote in the presidential election. The six voters who did not turn up include BNP lawmakers Mirza Abbas, Mostafa Kamal Pasha and Dr Muhammad Osman Farruk, independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana and Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam. The Election Commission (EC) later issued a gazette notification declaring Mirza Fakhrul elected as the President of Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday congratulated Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir with a red rose immediately after the BNP candidate was declared elected as Bangladesh’s 23rd President. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin announced the results at 5:20pm after the completion of ballot counting in the Parliament Chamber. Fakhrul secured 255 votes, while his rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad, the candidate of the 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, received 88 votes. “Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has secured 255 votes. I declare that, having received the highest number of votes, he has been duly elected President,” Nasir Uddin announced.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who has risen through the political ranks from grassroots activism and steered the BNP through some of its most difficult years, is now the party’s nominee for the presidency. A BNP delegation submitted the nomination paper to Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city's Agargaon area Thursday afternoon, formally putting forward its Secretary General for the country’s highest constitutional office. Fakhrul nominated as BNP’s presidential candidate Earlier, BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman nominated  Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the BNP’s candidate for the presidential election. Tarique announced his decision at the beginning of a meeting with the party’s Standing Committee members and senior leaders at the Prime Minister’s Office at secretariat. Mirza Fakhrul was a student leader in his youth, an economics teacher in his professional life and eventually a politician who went on to become a municipality chairman, a member of parliament, a state minister and a minister. Now, he is set to become the country’s 23rd president. At 78, Fakhrul has had a long and varied political journey, marked by political responsibility, organisational leadership and periods of adversity. Fakhrul, widely regarded as a moderate and seasoned politician within the BNP, remained one of the party’s most visible leaders during its prolonged political struggle against the Awami League government. Early life and education Fakhrul was born on January 26, 1948, in the Kalibari area of Thakurgaon town. His father, Mirza Ruhul Amin, was a lawyer who served twice as a member of the Pakistan Provincial Assembly and later as a member of Bangladesh’s Parliament. He also served as a minister in the Ershad government. Fakhrul completed his primary and secondary education in Thakurgaon before passing his Higher Secondary Certificate examination from Dhaka College. He then enrolled in the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka where he obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His involvement in politics began during his university years. He joined leftist politics and became president of the East Pakistan Students’ Union’s Dhaka University unit. He also served as the elected general secretary of the organisation’s SM Hall unit. During the 1969 mass uprising, Fakhrul was president of the Dhaka University unit of the Students’ Union. From teaching to politics After completing his studies, Fakhrul joined the teaching profession and worked as a lecturer in economics at Dhaka College. He later entered government service but left his job in 1986 to pursue politics full-time. His political career took a new turn when he was elected chairman of the Thakurgaon municipality as an independent candidate in 1988. Earlier, in 1979, during President Ziaur Rahman’s administration, Fakhrul had served as private secretary to then Deputy Prime Minister S A Bari. His entry into national politics came through the National Awami Party (NAP) of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani before he eventually joined the BNP. Rise within BNP During the anti-Ershad movement in the early 1990s, Fakhrul joined the BNP. He was appointed president of the Thakurgaon district unit of the party in 1992 and subsequently rose through the party hierarchy, serving in several key positions before becoming a senior joint secretary general. He served as BNP acting secretary general from 2011 and was elected secretary general at the party’s sixth national council in 2016. He has remained in the post since then. Before reaching the party’s top leadership, he also served for years as the first vice-president and later president of the BNP’s farmers’ organisation, Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal. A visible face during BNP’s difficult years Fakhrul’s political journey has been marked by prolonged challenges, particularly during the period following the 1/11 political changeover and the Awami League’s long tenure in power, when the BNP faced repeated repression and political setbacks. During the Awami League government, then BNP Chairperson and firmer prime minister Khaleda Zia was imprisoned for nearly two years from 2018 and later remained largely inactive in politics due to illness. Meanwhile, then acting chairman of the party Tarique Rahman left Bangladesh for London in 2008 during the military-backed caretaker government and continued to lead the party from there. In their absence, Fakhrul provided the BNP’s main  leadership from within Bangladesh. He remained at the forefront of the party’s movement against the Sheikh Hasina government and was jailed several times while leading those political programmes. With the BNP’s top two leaders largely absent from the country’s political arena for extended periods, Fakhrul emerged as the party’s most visible leader at home, helping steer the organisation through successive crises and leading its movement against the Awami League government. Parliamentary and ministerial career Fakhrul was elected to Parliament from Thakurgaon-1 constituency in the 2001 general election on the BNP’s electoral symbol. He served as state minister for agriculture and later as state minister for civil aviation and tourism during Khaleda Zia’s government. In the 2018 general election, he contested from Thakurgaon-1 and Bogura-6 constituencies and won Bogura-6. However, amid allegations of widespread vote rigging, he did not take oath as an MP, an unusual episode in Bangladesh’s parliamentary history. Under the current government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul serves as the Local Government and Rural Development Minister. His parliamentary seat is next to that of the Prime Minister. A long-serving party leader Senior BNP leaders have often credited Fakhrul with holding the party together during periods when its top leadership faced legal, political and organisational challenges. His nomination for the presidency therefore comes after a long career spanning student politics, teaching, government service, local government, parliamentary politics, ministerial responsibility and the leadership of the country’s principal political party. Family Fakhrul is married to Rahat Ara Begum. They have two daughters, Mirza Shamaruh Mirza and Mirza Safaruh. His wife, a former senior official of a private financial institution, is now retired. Their elder daughter lives in Australia and works as a postdoctoral fellow in Sydney, while their younger daughter teaches at an English-medium school in Dhaka. With the submission of his nomination paper, Fakhrul’s decades-long political journey has now brought him to the threshold of the country’s highest constitutional office.

BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday nominated party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the BNP’s candidate for the presidential election. Tarique announced his decision at the beginning of a meeting with the party’s Standing Committee members and senior leaders at the Prime Minister’s Office at secretariat. “On behalf of the BNP, I am pleased to announce that BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been nominated as the party’s presidential candidate,” BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters coming out of the meeting. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman handed over the nomination paper to Fakhrul. PM Tarique announces Mirza Fakhrul as BNP’s presidential candidate

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday expressed confidence that Bangladesh would be able to build a state where justice, fairness and the rule of law prevail, saying he has faith in both the country's people and its democratic forces. "We have faith and confidence, faith in our people and in the democratic forces, that we will certainly be able to build a state where justice, fairness and the rule of law are established," he said. He made the remarks while addressing a programme organised by the National Editors Council at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital's Ramna, where journalists who were martyred during the July uprising were honoured. Fakhrul said the previous "fascist government" systematically destroyed all democratic institutions in Bangladesh in an attempt to impose a one-party system and pro-democracy forces were subjected to killings and repression during that period. He said such reminders are necessary so that people do not forget the damage inflicted on the country's democracy and the future of its younger generation. Recalling Bangladesh's political history, Fakhrul said the struggle for democracy effectively began after 1971, alleging that those who took charge of running the newly independent country had betrayed the people's aspirations by introducing one-party rule. "The people of this country did not accept it. History bears witness to that," he said, adding that Bangladeshis have repeatedly had to struggle, sacrifice and even lay down their lives to secure their rights. Referring to the July mass uprising, he said it was the culmination of a 15-16-year movement to restore democracy. The movement led by former BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia including during her imprisonment, followed by the student-led uprising and the sacrifices made by many people, created a new dream and a new hope for the nation. He said he would not claim that all those aspirations have already been fulfilled but stressed that the country has gained a historic opportunity to rebuild the state. "An election has been held, fascism has fallen and through that election we now have a democratic government," he said. Acknowledging the enormous challenges inherited from the previous government, Fakhrul said it would not be possible to reverse 15 years of looting, destruction and repression within a short period. "But the work has begun. There may be shortcomings and inconsistencies but it cannot be said that nothing has been done," he said. Speaking about his long association with journalists, Fakhrul recalled visiting the Jatiya Press Club on many occasions and even being detained there one night alongside journalists. "Neither they gave up nor did we. We continued our struggle," he said. He urged political parties to stop creating unnecessary controversy and instead engage in constructive discussions. Calling on opposition parties to join the parliamentary committee on constitutional amendments, Fakhrul said they should participate in discussions and cooperate in making necessary constitutional changes. "We have carried out many movements and shed much blood. Now let us see whether we can reach consensus through discussion in parliament," he said.