BNP announces national executive committee; controversial figures, family members of war criminals, senior leaders find place
Over four months after holding the council, Bangladesh Nationalist Party announced its biggest ever national executive committee yesterday.
Surprising many, controversial figures and sons of two war criminals have been made members of the 502-strong committee, according to the list announced by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a press brief yesterday.
Family members of some prominent BNP leaders also have got positions in the committee.
Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman have long been holding the posts of chairperson and senior vice-chairman. They were reelected uncontested in the party’s national council held in March 19.
Khaleda formed the 502-member committee as councilors had vested the power in the hands of the chairperson to form all committees of BNP.
The previous national executive committee was comprised of 386 members.
The new committee includes sons of executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and convicted war criminal late Abdul Alim. Hummam Quader Chowdhury and Foysal Alim are now the 104th and 85th member in the executive committee.
Besides, SQ Chowdhury’s lawyer Fakhrul Islam has been incorporated in the committee.
Fakhrul Islam, now in jail, is one of the seven accused in a case over leaking of the draft verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in SQ Chowdhury’s war crime trial.
For committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, SQ Chowdhury was hanged on November 21 last year. Abdul Alim, who was sentenced to imprisonment until death, died of cancer on August 30, 2014.
Mirza Foysal Alim, brother of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul, and Maruf Hossain, Aninda Islam Amit and Naosad Jamir — sons of BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Tariqul Islam and Jamiruddin Sircar — are in the new executive committee.
Mir Helal, son of former Chittagong city mayor Mir Nasir; Tabith Awal, son of Khaleda Zia’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo; Aparna Roy, daughter of another BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy; Afroza Abbas and Mirza Khokon, wife and brother of BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas; among others, have been given different posts in the committee.
Tahmina Rushdi Luna, wife of BNP leader M Ilias Ali, who has been missing since 2012, has been made member of the BNP chief’s advisory council.
The new executive committee also includes controversial BNP leader like Lutfuzzaman Babar, who was convicted in the 10-truck arms haul case.
Another controversial BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu, who is behind bars and an accused in August 21 grenade attack case, has been re-selected for the post of vice-chairman in the new committee.
However, two posts — 17th and 18th positions in the BNP policymaking body — remain vacant as Khaleda is yet to select any one.
Source: The Daily Star
