He sent his resignation letter to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir through BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters on Tuesday night.
Contacted, Khan told UNB that he left BNP for personal reasons. “I’ve sent my resignation letter to the party high-ups on Tuesday night.”
“Considering the overall situation, I felt I’ve nothing more to contribute to the party. That’s why I’ve decided to step down,” he said, hoping that the young leaders will take the party forward.
Khan also expressed his grievances over the way BNP is now run. “A big and popular party like BNP is now run through Skype. It’s very painful and regrettable. I don’t want to say anything more about BNP,” Khan bemoaned.
Asked whether he will remain active in politics, he said, “I’ll decide it later. Evaluating the overall situation, I’ll decide whether I should quit politics or remain active in the days to come.”
Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, has been acting as the party chief since she was jailed for corruption last year. He has been staying in London for over a decade now and takes part in important party meetings via Skype.
Sources at BNP Nayapaltan central office said Morshed Khan’s personal secretary took the resignation letter to the office on Tuesday night and handed it over to BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Morshed Khan remained inactive in BNP’s politics since 1/11 political changeover in 2007.
He wanted to get party nomination to contest the 11th parliamentary election from Chattogram-8 constituency but the party nominated Chattogram South district unit convener Abu Sufiyan for the seat.
Khan was elected MP from the Chattogram-8 seat in 2001 with BNP’s ticket, and he was later appointed Foreign Minister as the BNP-led four-party alliance had formed government.
Though he was not active in politics, Khan was reappointed BNP vice-chairman in the party’s 6th national council in 2016.
Contacted, some senior BNP leaders declined to make any comment over Khan’s resignation from the party.
Of the BNP’s 35 vice-chairmen, Mosaddek Ali Falu and Inam Ahmed earlier quit the party on personal grounds. Inam Ahmed later joined the ruling Awami League.