The Daily Star
After a hiatus of 25 years, political activity is set to return to the government residence at 29 Minto Road — a building traditionally reserved for the leader of the opposition in parliament.
The opposition leader, also head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, is set to step into the residence and exchange Eid greetings with people from various walks of life.
His Eid day will begin in his constituency, Dhaka-15, where he will join the congregation at 8am at the playground of Monipur Girls High School adjacent to the 60-foot road.
After the prayers, he is expected to exchange greetings with local residents, according to the party.
The main programme of the day will then shift to 29 Minto Road.
A banner featuring Shafiqur Rahman’s photograph has already been installed at the entrance.
Inside, a temporary canopy has been set up to accommodate guests. A part of the structure was damaged during the storm this morning, though it is being repaired swiftly.
A stage has been constructed beside the canopy from where the opposition leader will exchange greetings with guests.
Separate seating arrangements have also been made inside the building for additional visitors.
Jamaat’s assistant secretary general, Abdul Halim, said Shafiqur expects to exchange greetings with diplomats based in Dhaka from 11am to 12:30pm, and later with political leaders and people from various professions from 3pm to 4:30pm.
The residence is currently undergoing renovation.
Shafiqur Rahman is expected to move in once completed. He is presently residing at the Bashundhara residential area.
The century-old two-storey building at Minto Road is more than a government residence; it is also a site deeply embedded in the country’s political memory. Once painted red, it hosted key political chapters of the past.
In 1991, during the fifth national parliament, it housed Sheikh Hasina in her capacity as opposition leader. Later, from 1996 to 2001, Khaleda Zia used it regularly as her office.
During that period, the residence functioned as a vibrant political hub, bustling with party workers and constant activity. But no opposition leader has stayed there since 2001.
According to heritage organisation Urban Study Group, the area around Minto Road evolved after the 1906 administrative expansion following the partition of Bengal, when Dhaka developed as a “civil station”.
British officials’ residences were built in and around Minto Road in a red brick bungalow style, with number 29 standing out as one such example.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/political-bustle-returns-heritage-29-minto-road-house-eid-4133056
