BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said the people of the country will determine who will participate in elections and do politics. “As a political party we can’t determine it. There has been a misunderstanding. An adviser said BNP facilitated the Awami League to do politics but it is not correct and we’ve cleared our stance,” he said. Fakhrul made the remarks while addressing a programme organised to distribute education materials and corrugated iron sheets among flood-hit people at Sreepur in Feni’s Fulgazi upazila. He said here there should be no scope of any misunderstanding as they never obstructed any party from joining elections. “But those, including Sheikh Hasina, killed people, laundered money abroad and destroyed the country’s assets must be brought to justice.” Lay out election roadmap to restore trust: BNP to govt  Regarding the interim government, the BNP secretary general said they (interim govt) will do a lot of work and they have already brought back peace and order. “Can Awami League men unleash torture now?  They should be given some time.” When they (govt) will finish the work, the elections will surely be held and a people's government will come, he said, adding, “We said it's better to do it a little sooner.” Urging the party activists to remain united, he said the AL ‘bandits’ fled the country and it will take to remove all wastes from the country created during the AL regime. Fakhrul said efforts are underway to send Khaleda Zia abroad for advanced treatment. BNP standing committee member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, joint secretary general secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anny, Chairperson’s adviser Prof Joynal Abedin, former lawmaker Rehana Akter Ranu and Chattogram Divisional organising secretary Mahbube Rahman Shamim were, among others, preset on the occasion.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday urged all to keep fighting against fascists and stop the return of the deposed Awami fascism.  Talking to reporters at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, he also said  the court's order declaring BNP leader Dr Shahadat Hossain as the elected mayor of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) has proved that all elections held under the Awami League regime were rigged and usurped. “We drove the fascists out of the country through a student-led mass uprising. Now, the nation expects that fascism won’t return and that it will be eliminated forever through the united resistance of people,” Fakhrul said. He also expressed the hope that future elections will be conducted in a free, fair, and credible manner. BNP leader Shahadat Hossain takes oath as Chattogram city mayor On behalf of BNP and its two top leaders, Fakhrul congratulated Dr Shahadat on his swearing-in as the mayor of Chattogram City Corporation. He claimed that Dr  Shahadat was elected mayor by people’s votes in the CCC polls, but the Awami League had unlawfully taken that victory away. Fakhrul expressed gratitude to the court for overturning the rigged election results and declaring Dr Shahadat the rightful winner. He also thanked the interim government for accepting the court's verdict and for swearing in Dr Shahadat today (Sunday. Earlier in the Day, Shahadat Hossain took oath as the mayor of CCC. Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, AF Hassan Ariff, administered the swearing-in ceremony in the conference room of the Local Government Division at the Secretariat on Sunday morning. Need to hold polls quickly; only elected govt can make visible changes: Fakhrul After taking the oath, Dr Shahadat, accompanied by party leaders and workers, including Fakhrul, visited Zia’s grave to pay homage by placing a wreath there. Earlier, on October 1, Joint District and Sessions Judge and Election Tribunal of Chittagong, Mohammad Khairul Amin, declared Dr Shahadat Hossain the mayor in response to a lawsuit regarding the CCC election. In the January 27, 2021, CCC election, Awami League candidate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was initially declared winner with 369,248 votes, while Dr Shahadat Hossain, the BNP candidate, received 52,489 votes.  However, on October 8, the Election Commission announced Dr Shahadat as the winner and published the gazette that same night.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir returned home from Canberra, Australia, on Friday night after a 15-day personal visit. The BNP leader, along with his wife Rahat Ara Begum, reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Singapore Airlines flight at aboit 10:25pm, his personal assistant M Yunus Ali told UNB. The BNP leader went to Australia on October 10 to visit his elder daughter. His wife went to Australia earlier, but the couple returned home together. Fakhrul off to Australia to see his daughter Fakhrul's eldest daughter, Dr Shamaruh Mirza, is a medical scientist who has been living in Canberra, Australia, since 2006. While she is a doctor, Shamaruh is primarily recognised as a women's organiser.  In 2017, she co-founded SiTara’s Story to provide women from diverse backgrounds a safe space to discuss their challenges and gain confidence. The organisation allows women to talk about stigmatised topics without fear, form support networks, and empower themselves.  In 2021, SiTara’s Story received the ACT Mental Health Month award, and Shamaruh was a finalist for the Canberra Community Spirits Award. In 2022, she was honoured with Australia’s prestigious award ‘Australian of the Year.’

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. Neither parliament nor current govt was formed with people’s mandate: Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan 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. BNP, like-minded parties set to hold black-flag processions Friday, Saturday 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. New education policy, school curriculum are anti-national: Rizvi  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.

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. Narayanganj-4: This may be my last election, says Shamim Osman 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. Ganatantra Mancha urges voters to boycott lopsided polls 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. Equal opportunities will be ensured for all candidates: EC Ahsan Habib 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.

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. 

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.

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. Also read: US visa policy should be effective on BNP, Quader says 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.  

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.

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.