Most BNP leaders still inactive

Most of the top leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are still not showing up in public, although a kind of calm atmosphere has started prevailing in the country in the last two months.
A lion’s share of the party leaders is apparently inactive with no party activities on the ground.
Only a handful of leaders are now seen active. Most of the rest are still either in hiding or remain inactive to avoid arrests, while some of them are behind bars.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance announced a non-stop transport blockade on 5 January this year and the government took a tough position centering on the programme.
Most of the BNP leaders went into hiding to avoid arrests at that time.
A kind of calm political atmosphere staged a comeback in the political arena following bail grant to BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on last 5 April, as well as allowing her to go to her residence without any hindrances, and the three peaceful city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong.
No BNP top leaders were arrested anew and some of the top leaders were even granted bail.
However, sources in the party said a segment of the party leaders still fear arrests and harassment and that is why they are not taking part in party activities spontaneously.
When his attention was called to the fact that most of the leaders are still in hiding, Dhaka University vice chancellor and pro-BNP civic platform Adarsha Dhaka Andolan convener Emajuddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo, “Going into hiding is not graceful. But many of them were forced to go into hiding. Many of them need to take eight to 10 types of medicine every day. They are not supposed to go into hiding but the state has forced them to do so.”
Of the standing committee members, RA Ghani, Shamsul Islam, MK Anwar, and Sarwari Rahman are ailing, while Mirza Abbas, Rafiqul Islam Mia, and Tariqul Islam have long been in hiding, though Tariqul Islam was seen in public on the day of Khaleda’s meeting with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. Zamiruddin Sircar and Nazrul Islam Khan are sometimes seen in party activities.
Standing committee members Mahbubur Rahman and Abdul Moyeen Khan are seen in different party programmes. Moudud Ahmed and ASM Hannan Shah acted as party coordinators during the city polls but they are now inactive, though sometimes they are seen at some party programmes.
Standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy are now behind bars.
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury is also in jail on charges of war crimes committed in the Liberation War of 1971.
Party’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam has been languishing in jail since 6 January this year.
Of the 15 vice chairmen, Abdullah Al Noman and Selima Rahman are sometimes seen in different programmes, but most of the rest of the vice chairmen are apparently inactive.
Of them, Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury was in jail for long and another vice chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka is now abroad for medical treatment, while Abdus Salam Pintu has been in jail for a long time now.
Of seven joint secretary generals of the party, Amanullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu, and Mizanur Rahman Minu are in hiding, fearing arrests, while Salahuddin Ahmed is in Shillong of India, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed is in jail, ailing Mohammad Shahjahan is hospitalised and Mahbubuddin looks after the legal affairs of the party.

Source: Prothom Alo