Need to stop India’s ‘hegemony’ first, says Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that, if voted to power, his party will give top priority to ending what he described as India’s dominance over Bangladesh. He also said issues related to the Farakka Barrage, the Teesta water-sharing agreement, equitable distribution of transboundary waters, and border killings would receive heightened attention under a BNP...
BNP to implement every clause of July Charter: Salahuddin Ahmed
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed today reaffirmed that the party remains fully committed to implementing every clause of the July Charter exactly as agreed by the political parties. “If anything beyond that is imposed, the people will judge,” he said, stressing that no law or order should undermine the sovereignty of Parliament. “Strict...
BNP to start Khaleda Zia’s election campaign today
The Dinajpur district unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its affiliated and allied organizations will begin election campaigning on behalf of party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia from Friday (November 14). The announcement came during an emergency meeting held on Thursday (November 13) at the Shishu Academy in Dinajpur Sadar. Dr A Z M Zahid Hossain, a member of the BNP...
BNP thanks Yunus for confirming Feb polls, referendum
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday thanked Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus for reaffirming that the next parliamentary election will be held in February and for declaring that a national referendum will take place on the same day. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir conveyed the party’s response while briefing journalists after an emergency meeting of the...
BNP standing committee meets in Gulshan this evening
Bangladesh’s opposition BNP will hold a meeting of its standing committee at 7pm on Thursday at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka. The meeting will be chaired virtually by the party’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, BNP’s media cell has confirmed. Party sources say the meeting was convened shortly after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s address to the nation earlier...
New French envoy meets Mirza Fakhrul in Dhaka
The newly appointed French ambassador to Bangladesh, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, paid a courtesy call on BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in Dhaka on Thursday (November 13). The meeting took place around noon at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan. BNP standing committee member and chairperson’s Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury,...
Shibir protests in Dhaka over alleged AL sabotage
Islami Chhatra Shibir staged a march and rally in Dhaka on Thursday, calling for legal backing to the July National Charter and denouncing what it termed “sabotage” by the banned Awami League. The procession set off from Dhaka College in the morning and wound through key roads before concluding with a gathering at the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture on the Dhaka University campus. ...
8-party alliance warns indefinite sit-in at Jamuna by Nov 16
Eight-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami warned it would stage an open-ended sit-in outside the Chief Adviser’s official residence - Jamuna, if the interim government fails to meet five demands—including giving the July National Charter legal force—by November 16. The ultimatum was issued by Jamaat’s Naib-e-Ameer, Professor Mujibur Rahman, at a joint press conference in Dhaka on...
EU backs free, fair election in Bangladesh: Amir Khasru
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) wants democracy to return to Bangladesh through a free and fair election. The EU will reportedly send observers and provide assistance to the Election Commission to ensure a credible electoral process. Khasru made the remarks after a meeting between BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam...
EU envoy meets Mirza Fakhrul
The European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh, Michael Miller, held a courtesy meeting with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Wednesday (November 12) morning. The meeting, which began at 11:00am, was also attended by BNP National Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Joint Secretary General Humayun Kabir, and...
BNP to withdraw cases against Awami League: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the party does not seek “politics of vengeance” and will withdraw all cases filed against the Awami League if it comes to power. He said, “We do not want retaliatory politics. We will not file cases like the Awami League did. We will withdraw every case against the Awami League.” Mirza Fakhrul was speaking at a views...
JCD activist hacked to death near Gulshan Lake
A local activist of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the BNP, was hacked to death beside Gulshan Lake in the capital late Monday (November 10), according to police and party colleagues. The deceased was identifed as Saurav, an activist of the Shurjamoni Union unit of the JCD. He hailed from Bauphal in Patuakhal. Police said they recovered Saurav’s...
Rally of eight parties begins at Paltan intersection
A rally by eight parties protesting with five demands—including issuing an order to implement the July National Charter and holding a referendum on that order within November—has begun. Hundreds of leaders and activists from the parties are joining the programme. They have set up a temporary stage on trucks to hold the rally. As per the pre-announced programme, the rally began around...
"Parties won't be bound by any decision beyond July Charter"
BNP Standing Committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain has said that if the government announces any decision outside the issues specified in the July National Charter, no political party that signed the Charter will be obliged to accept it. He made the remarks on Tuesday (November 11) at a press conference held at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka. The press...
Eight-party alliance to hold rally in Dhaka today
As part of their pre-announced program, eight parties participating in the simultaneous movement will hold a mass rally at Dhaka’s Paltan area this afternoon. Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad expressed hope that not just thousands, but millions of people would join the gathering. The announcement came on Monday following a meeting of the eight-party leaders...
BNP to brief media today
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a press conference to be held at its chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Tuesday (November 11) at 12:00 pm. BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan said the press conference has been called to brief journalists on the decisions made during the party’s standing committee meeting held on Monday night (November 10). BNP Secretary General...
Delaying polls would spell disaster, warns Mirza Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that “a quarter” is maneuvering to postpone the national election, warning that any attempt to derail or delay the polls would be catastrophic for the country. “We urgently need an elected government,” he said on Monday (November 10) at a views-exchange with freedom fighters and their families at the district Muktijoddha...
Salahuddin urges EC to view Tarique's appeal with empathy
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has urged the Election Commission to consider with “empathy” the appeal filed for party registration by “Aam Janatar Dal” leader Tarique Rahman, whom he described as a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s anti-fascist, pro-democracy movement. The party had applied for registration but was denied “after a lengthy process, he added....
SC upholds Latif Siddiqui’s bail
The Appellate Division on Monday (November 10) upheld the High Court’s order granting bail to former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station. The order came from a bench led by senior Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury after hearing the state’s challenge to the bail. The court, however, deferred for one week the bail hearing...