United News of Bangladesh

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.

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday praised law enforcement agencies for swiftly arresting the accused following the murder a teacher and his family in Rangpur and called for identifying and dismantling the secret hideouts of all criminal syndicates across the country. “People want to live peacefully and earn their livelihood. No matter how powerful a drug user or a criminal syndicate may be, they must be brought under the law and their trial must be ensured,” he said. Rizvi was speaking at a discussion and doa mahfil organised in front of the BNP central office at Nayapaltan on Wednesday on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi. He called for establishing a just society and ensuring the rule of law in the country by following the path of peace shown by Prophet Muhammad. He said the government formed after a free and fair election is committed to ensuring accountability to the people in every sphere. “Members of the Cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman are continuously remaining accountable to grassroots leaders and activists, the media and Parliament, which ultimately means accountability to the ordinary people of the country,” he said. Speaking about the country’s law and order situation and recent incidents, Rizvi said the Home Minister has a huge responsibility in ensuring public safety. Rizvi said the overall environment is not worse than before, but further improvement is needed. He expressed hope that under the Home Minister’s leadership all criminals would be brought under the law and tried. Islamic scholars and religious experts  along with leaders and activists from different levels of the BNP, attended the programme. A special doa was later offered seeking the welfare and prosperity of the country and its people. BNP Standing Committee member and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, BNP Chairman’s Adviser and Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator and freedom fighter Abdus Salam, Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Abdus Salam Azad, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee and leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated and associate organisations were present at the event.

Four newly appointed members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) highest policymaking body, the National Standing Committee, on Tuesday paid tribute at the graves of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. They placed floral wreaths at the graves beside the National Parliament complex in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital in the morning. The four new members of the National Standing Committee are Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Md Amanullah Aman, Dr Farhad Halim Doner and Md Ismail Zabiullah. After paying tribute, a special prayer was offered seeking the forgiveness of the souls of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Leaders and activists of different BNP-affiliated organisations were also present.      

Speculation over the BNP’s presidential nominee will end on Thursday, as its Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to meet the party’s Standing Committee members to make the final decision, with nomination papers for the presidential election scheduled to be submitted from 10am to 4pm that day. Several BNP leaders said the party’s candidate will be known after the meeting, scheduled for 12 noon, just hours before the nomination deadline expires at 4pm. They, however, indicated that BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is likely to get the ruling party’s nomination for the presidency. The BNP’s formal announcement may come around 12:30pm after the Standing Committee meeting, they said. Earlier on August 10, the BNP Standing Committee entrusted its Chairman Tarique Rahman with the responsibility of nominating the party’s candidate for the presidential election. Since then, speculation has intensified that Mirza Fakhrul would be the BNP nominee for the country’s top constitutional post. A Standing Committee member said, “The name of the person who will be the presidential candidate will be known at the meeting with the chairman on Thursday.” He said the prospective candidate’s signature will be obtained at the meeting and a delegation will then be sent to the Election Commission for submitting the nomination paper along with the signatures of the proposer and seconder. Meanwhile, the 11-party opposition alliance, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has named Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad as its candidate for the presidential election. Both the ruling and opposition camps have collected nomination papers for their respective aspirants. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, who is serving as the returning officer for the presidential election, has already convened a meeting of MPs at the session chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on August 20 for voting in accordance with the Presidential Election Act, 1991. According to the election schedule announced by the EC on August 6, nomination papers will be scrutinised on August 16, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is August 18. Voting will take place from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 at the session chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad. A total of 349 MPs are eligible to vote in the presidential election, with the Chattogram-4 parliamentary seat currently vacant. This will be the first presidential election in 35 years involving more than one candidate, making it the first contested presidential election since the restoration of the parliamentary system in 1991. On July 24, Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as President, following which Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed charge as acting President. Under Article 123(2) of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacant presidential office must be held within 90 days of the post becoming vacant due to resignation.

The ruling BNP on Sunday collected two nomination forms for the upcoming presidential election. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni collected the forms from the Returning Officer’s office in the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon. Speaking to the media, Moni said they collected two forms for the same candidate to avoid any mistakes or omissions in the nomination process. “We have taken the forms for one person, but collected two so that there is no error or omission. The forms have not been collected in anyone’s name,” he said. The chief whip said the party will submit the nomination papers according to the election schedule. In 2023, the then ruling Awami League also collected two nomination forms for the presidential election. Two nomination papers were submitted in the name of then presidential candidate Mohammed Shahabuddin, with one being declared valid and the other automatically cancelled. There is no restriction on collecting or submitting more than one nomination paper for a single candidate. Earlier on August 6, the EC announced the schedule for the presidential election, setting August 20 as the voting date, following the resignation of Shahabuddin as President on July 24. According to the schedule, nomination papers can be submitted from 10:00am to 4:00pm on August 13, while scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on August 16. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is August 18. If there is more than one candidate, voting will be held from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on August 20 in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The 11-party alliance, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has already announced that it will field a candidate for the presidential election. On Sunday, it chose Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad as its presidential election candidate. If the contest takes place, it will be the first presidential election involving more than one candidate since 1991, when the parliamentary system was restored. In the 1991 election, BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League candidate Badrul Haider Chowdhury. In subsequent presidential elections, candidates nominated by the ruling parties were elected unopposed. As the President is elected by Members of Parliament, the BNP candidate is expected to secure victory due to the party’s single majority in Parliament. Article 70 of the Constitution prevents lawmakers from voting against their respective political parties in Parliament. If Parliament is not in session, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will convene a one-day sitting in consultation with the Speaker. If more than one candidate remains in the race, the CEC will convene the sitting seven days before the scheduled polling date. The sitting, however, will not be considered a regular parliamentary session.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Sunday accused the BNP of resorting to the same authoritarian practices that opposition parties had faced during the fascist Awami League regime, urging the party to respect the people's mandate and democratic values. Addressing a discussion, titled “Jan Debo, July Debo Na”, organised by the Bangladesh Labour Party at the Jatiya Press Club, he said both Jamaat and BNP had endured over 17 years of repression before the political change brought by the July movement.  “After the bloodstained movement that brought change, we are now seeing a photocopy of what the fascists used to do,” Shafiqur said, alleging that BNP has embraced the same “tactics of suppressing dissent through propaganda, conspiracy and the use of force.”  He also questioned BNP's stance on the referendum, further alleging that the party is ignoring the will of the people despite previously supporting the process. The Jamaat chief said Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971 was against discrimination and the denial of people's voting rights, warning that repeating such mistakes will have serious consequences.  He criticised what he described as increasing politicisation in public administration and alleged partisan appointments to key government positions. Shafiqur also called for a non-partisan election-time administration to ensure credible polls and urged the government to hold elections that genuinely reflect the people's mandate.  He further alleged that opposition activists are facing politically motivated cases and criticised incidents of violence against protesters, saying such actions contradict the aspirations of the July movement.  Among others, National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmad and Labour Party Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran addressed the programme.

An activist of Jubo Dal, BNP’s youth wing,  was shot dead and two others suffered bullet injuries in Kafrul area of the capital on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Yusuf Ali, 45, an activist of Kafrul thana unit Jubo Dal. Witnesses said, when local Jubo Dal leader Hafizur Rahman along with 7-8 others were chatting in front of a garment factory around 11:30 pm in Mirpur-13 area 3-4 armed miscreants opened fire on them, leaving Yusuf and two others injured. The injured including Nalam Sardar, 45 and Monir Hossain, 32 were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital around 12:30 am, where the doctors declared Yusuf dead, said Inspector Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp. Local people managed to detain a suspect and handed him over to police.

A local BNP leader in Faridpur has been expelled from the party after an obscene video allegedly involving him went viral on social media. The expelled leader is Md Obaidur Rahman, organising secretary of Aliabad union unit of BNP in Sadar upazila. The expulsion was confirmed in a letter signed by Faridpur district BNP Convener Advocate Syed Modarres Ali Isa and Member Secretary AKM Kibria Swapon on Thursday night. According to the letter, Obaidur was removed from his party post and his primary membership was revoked for allegedly engaging in an act amounting to moral turpitude. Isa said the decision to expel him was taken at a meeting of the district unit on Thursday night after the allegations against him were found to be true. Repeated attempts were made to contact Obaidur over the phone for his comments, but he did not answer the calls. Earlier, an obscene video of the BNP leader – 5 minutes and 37 seconds long – with a woman proliferated widely on social media.