United News of Bangladesh

BNP on Thursday announced its schedule for distributing and submitting nomination forms for the by-election to the vacant reserved women’s seat No. 323 in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad. The party invited women aspiring to contest the by-election to collect nomination forms on Friday (October 16). The information was disclosed in a notice signed by BNP Assistant Office Secretary Muhammad Munir Hossain. Candidates seeking BNP nomination for the reserved seat can collect nomination forms from the party’s central office in Nayapaltan, the notice said. The filled up forms must be submitted to the same office on October 17, between 10am and 5pm. The Election Commission (EC) on October 12 announced the schedule for the by-election to the reserved women’s seat that fell vacant following the resignation of Ferdousy Ahmed Mishti, setting November 12 as voting day. According to the schedule, the deadline for submitting nomination papers to the returning officer at the Nirbachan Bhaban is October 26. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on October 27, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 1. Voting will be held on November 12. Mishti was elected as a lawmaker from a reserved women’s seat with nomination from the BNP. Under the law, only the BNP can nominate a candidate for the vacant seat. If more than one candidate contests the election, only lawmakers from the BNP alliance will be eligible to vote. However, reserved women’s seats generally have a single candidate, requiring no voting. Mishti resigned from her parliamentary seat on October 1 following instructions from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman amid allegations that she was involved in an attack, vandalism, looting and demolition at the Radda MCH-FP Centre, a maternal and child healthcare facility in Mirpur, Dhaka, on September 24.

BNP leaders on Wednesday paid tribute to the party’s veteran leader and former MP Salahuddin Ahmed in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office. After the second namaz-e-janaza following Zohr prayers, senior leaders led by BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi placed the party flag over Salahuddin’s coffin and paid tribute to him. BNP Vice-Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, chairman’s adviser Abdus Salam, Joint Secretaries General Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Abdus Salam Azad, Dhaka South BNP Convener Rafiqul Alam Majnu, and the deceased’s son and Dhaka South BNP Member Secretary Tanvir Ahmed Robin, among others, were present. Earlier, they along with leaders and activists of the party’s different units and affiliated organisations, attended the second janaza for Salahuddin. A munajat was offered after the janaza praying for the salvation of the departed soul. Earlier, the first namaz-e-janaza was held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the morning. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal, Chief Whip Nurul Islam, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, cabinet members, whips, and current and former MPs attended the prayer. President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s military secretary, Major General ASM Bahauiddin, placed a wreath on the coffin on behalf of the president. The prime minister, the speaker, the deputy speaker, the chief whip and other whips also paid their last respects by placing wreaths separately. Salahuddin Ahmed died at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka at around 8pm on Tuesday while undergoing treatment for lung problems and other health complications. He was 80. Family members said his third and final janaza would be held at Lal Mosque in Shyampur at 3pm, after which he would be buried beside his father’s grave in Jurain.  

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has expressed deep shock and sorrow over the death of former MP Salahuddin Ahmed, who died at a hospital in the capital on Tuesday night. In a condolence message on Wednesday, the President prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed his deepest sympathy to the bereaved family. Salahuddin, BNP commerce affairs secretary, breathed his last at Evercare Hospital Dhaka at 8:10pm on Tuesday, said his son Tanvir Ahmed Robin, member secretary of Dhaka South City BNP.

BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday warned party leaders and activists against sacrificing their long political struggle for personal benefits such as fertiliser dealership and government contracts, saying the party must maintain public confidence through tolerance and responsible conduct. “If we sell out our long political struggle to obtain fertiliser dealerships and contracts, we will not be able to achieve anything significant. We will fail to secure our greater goals. General people, who are the voters, should see that BNP leaders and activists are extremely tolerant,” he said. Rizvi made the remarks while addressing a commemorative meeting marking the 10th death anniversary of former minister and BNP National Standing Committee member Brig Gen (retd) A S M Hannan Shah. He said BNP leaders and activists should not remain preoccupied with what they gained or failed to gain personally, but should instead focus on the broader responsibilities of the party and government. “After 17 years of hardship, we have secured a BNP government through a free and fair election under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He is working day and night to make the country prosperous,” Rizvi said. Despite the difficulties, the government is trying to provide relief to people and meet their essential needs, Rizvi said. He said industrial mills and factories have been at risk of shutting down amid the gas and electricity shortages, but the situation was gradually improving under Tarique Rahman's leadership. “By the grace of Allah, we are gradually getting these services back in many places. Gas stoves in our kitchens are burning again. I believe the situation will gradually return to normal in the coming days,” he said. Rizvi said every party leader and activist should consider themselves part of the government, regardless of the positions they had received. “What matters is that the government maintains a good image and continues to run the country with sincerity. We must all cooperate in this effort,” he said. He urged MPs to maintain peace and stability in their respective constituencies and asked party leaders and activists to support them. He also called on lawmakers to stand beside people in both good times and difficult situations.“We have all been involved in politics. We did not enter politics to become wealthy overnight.” Rizvi said BNP leaders and activists are not behaving like those who are involved in what he described as the fascist rule of the past. He alleged that during the previous regime, those in power looted public money, occupied people's land and even took cattle from cowsheds and fish from ponds, plunging the country into disorder to establish a system of plunder. “The BNP will not repeat those practices. The party has no such commitment. The BNP stands for peace, stability and the rule of law,” he said. He stressed that even grassroots-level party workers are part of the government and must act with restraint to preserve peace and stability. Rizvi said various conspiracies and attempts to create instability are continuing, adding that police have arrested two retired army officers on Sunday over suspected plans for sabotage. He urged party leaders and activists to remain alert, particularly ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja. He said party leaders and activists should voluntarily perform these duties on a voluntary basis, without waiting for specific instructions. “If we understand our responsibilities and work accordingly, the people of this country will continue to support the nationalist forces,” he said, warning party members to ensure that their conduct never resembled that of activists of the previous regime. Rizvi concluded this part of his speech by praying for the eternal peace of the late Hannan Shah. The event was attended by BNP Gazipur district president Fazlul Haque Milan, BNP National Executive Committee Organising Secretary for Dhaka Division Saiful Haque Bablu, Hannan Shah's son and BNP leader Reazul Hannan, former central Chhatra Dal leaders and BNP lawmakers.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday has formed a 12-member monitoring committee ahead of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community. BNP Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon has been made convener of the committee, while another Joint Secretary General of the party, Syed Emran Saleh Prince, has been named its member secretary. The names of the committee members were announced in a press release signed by BNP Assistant Office Secretary Muhammad Munir Hossain on night. The other members of the committee are BNP National Executive Committee Assistant Organising Secretary Jayanta Kumar Kundu, Assistant Secretary for Marginalised People Development Aparna Roy Das, Assistant Secretaries for Religious Affairs Amalendu Das Apu and John Gomes, and National Executive Committee members Advocate Nipun Roy Chowdhury and Ramesh Dutta. The committee also includes Jubo Dal central committee Labour Affairs Secretary Partha Dey Mondal, former Vice-President of the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal Joydeb Roy, former student leader Milton Baidya, and Ganesh Chandra Roy Sahas, president of Dhaka University Chhatra Dal.

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday called for an end to the “mafia rule” in the road transport sector, saying longstanding extortion, syndicates and irregularities must be eliminated to restore discipline and ensure a comfortable environment for ordinary people. Rizvi made the remarks at a tribute programme organised by the newly formed committee of the Jatiya Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation at the graves of BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman and former BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. Rizvi said he hoped the new federation would remain active and vocal in putting an end to the longstanding anarchy and illegal extortion on the roads. The BNP leader expressed confidence that the new federation leadership would use fresh ideas and approaches, drawing on its members’ backgrounds in student politics, to address longstanding disorder in the road transport sector, bring activities within the bounds of law and make a significant contribution to passenger services. He said the leaders has taken on the responsibility with a commitment to improving the sector, He said responsible performance in one sector could positively influence other sectors, encouraging them to improve through healthy competition. Rizvi expressed hope that the new federation leadership would help replace the deteriorated road transport management that had developed during what he described as fascist rule with a new system that would strengthen public trust and make people feel safer and more comfortable while travelling.

Nahid Islam, opposition Chief Whip and convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), said on Saturday said BNP, since coming to power, has been curbing people's rights and undermining democracy. Those who have destroyed democracy in the past have ultimately ended up in "the dustbin of history," Nahid said while addressing the inaugural rally of the 11-party alliance's Dhaka-to-Rangpur long march at the capital's Manik Mia Avenue. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman must now decide the manner in which he steps down from power, under pressure or through a dignified process. "Tarique Rahman has to decide now whether he will flee by helicopter or hand over power through a dignified process," he said. Nahid said the government passed an enforced disappearance law and a human rights law in the last parliamentary session, and that RAB had been renamed SRB. While protecting human rights is the government's responsibility, he alleged the current government is instead creating condition conducive to rights violations across the board. He further alleged that the incumbent government has begun using the same laws and institutions that Sheikh Hasina's administration had used to suppress people's rights. Noting that a wave of public support has built up behind the long march, Nahid Islam alleged that banners and festoons of the 11-party alliance have been torn down along the march route since Friday night, claiming BNP leaders and activists carried this out with the involvement of the city corporation. Tearing down banners and festoons will not stop the tide of public support for the long march, he said, adding that the opposition's list of demands keeps growing but will ultimately converge into a single demand, called on 11-party alliance leaders and activists to prepare accordingly.

A free medical camp was inaugurated at Naya Paltan in the capital on Tuesday marking the 48th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi inaugurated the medical camp on  the ground floor of the party’s central office in Naya Paltan around noon. People from different age groups received medical services at the camp. Physicians examined patients, provided necessary health advice and distributed various medicines free of cost. BNP Health Affairs Secretary Dr Md Rafiqul Islam, among other leaders and activists of different levels of the party, physicians and volunteers, were present at the event.

BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday paid homage to slain party founder Ziaur Rahman and its former chairperson Khaleda Zia by placing a wreath at their graves marking the party’s 48th founding anniversary. Tarique, also the eldest son of Zia and Khaleda, flanked by party senior leaders, placed the wreath at his parents’ graves at She r-e-Bangla Nagar around 9:20am and offered fateha there. They also offered Fateha and joined a munajat seeking eternal peace for the departed souls of the party’s founder and former chairperson. BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Standing Committee members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, Aman Ullah Aman, Farhad Halim Donar and Ismail Zabihullah, Vice Chairman Nurul Islam Moni, Joint Secretaries General Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee and Syed Emran Saleh Prince, Abdus Salam Azad, Treasurer Rashiduzzaman Millat, Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku and Dhaka North city unit president Aminul Haque, among others, present. After Tarique left the grave premises and security restrictions were eased, a large number of BNP leaders, activists and supporters gathered there. They chanted slogans such as “Shubho, Shubho, Shubho Din, BNP-r Jonmodin” and “Ek Zia Lokantore, Lokkho Zia Ghore Ghore”. Leaders and activists of different BNP-affiliated organisations including that of Dhaka city units, Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Muktijoddha Dal, Krishak Dal, Mohila Dal, Tanti Dal, Matsyajibi Dal, Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), Agriculturalists Association of Bangladesh (AAB), Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas) and Chhatra Dal, also paid homage at Ziaur Rahman’s grave.

The BNP is set to celebrate its 48th founding anniversary on Tuesday with various programmes. On September 1, 1978, late President Ziaur Rahman founded the party with a 19-point programme to build a self-reliant Bangladesh. The party has announced a five-day central programme to mark its founding anniversary. The anniversary programmes will begin with the hoisting of the party flag at 6:00am at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, the chairman’s office in Gulshan and party offices across the country. Later in the morning, BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, along with members of the party’s Standing Committee, will place wreaths and offer Fateha at the graves of party founder Ziaur Rahman and former BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said all preparations have been completed to celebrate the founding anniversary with due respect. “The five-day central programme will begin with placing wreaths and paying tribute at the graves of the party’s founder, martyred President Ziaur Rahman, and Begum Khaleda Zia,” he said. Rizvi said BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will pay tribute at the graves along with the members of the party’s Standing Committee. The party will also organise a central discussion, while district, metropolitan and upazila units will arrange separate programmes. BNP and its associate bodies will also organise tree plantation and fish release programmes as part of the anniversary celebrations. The party and its associate organisations have published posters marking the anniversary, while special supplements will also be published by different newspapers. Rizvi said BNP’s district and metropolitan units and their affiliated organisations will observe the day through separate discussions and other programmes. Tarique Rahman and Rizvi, in separate messages, congratulated the people of Bangladesh, party leaders, activists, supporters and well-wishers on the occasion. Ziaur Rahman founded BNP after forming the Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal (Jagdal) and the Jatiyatabadi Front. BNP was formally launched at the Ramna Restaurant in Dhaka on September 1, 1978. Following the formation of BNP, several political groups, including Jagdal, the NAP led by Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, United People’s Party led by Abdul Halim-Akbar Hossain, Labour Party led by Abdul Matin and Muslim League led by Shah Azizur Rahman, merged into the new party. Ziaur Rahman led BNP as its chairman, followed by Khaleda Zia and subsequently Tarique Rahman.