BNP leaders overstate to console their activists: Hasan Mahmud

Information and broadcasting minister and Hasan Mahmud and other leaders and activists of ruling Awami League offers munajat after placing wreath at the grave of AL’s former general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam in Banani, Dhaka on his fourth death anniversary on 3 January 2023BSS

Information and broadcasting minister and Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) leaders including, Khandaker Mosharraf, are making tall talks to console their activists, reports news agency BSS.

“In fact, BNP’s exaggeration is nothing but “empty vessel sounds much”. They couldn’t stage any movement and wouldn’t do so in future,” he said.

Hasan Mahmud, also joint general secretary of ruling Awami League, told the newspersons replying to a query after placing wreath at the grave of AL’s former general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam in city’s Banani on his fourth death anniversary.

AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, MP, Syed Ashraf’s younger sister Syeda Zakia Bari Lipi, MP, and family members along with leaders and activists of AL, Jubo League and different organisations were present.

Replying to another query over a demand of BNP, the information minister said their demands are traditional and they have been raising those for the last 14 years.

“In fact, the activists of BNP are not with their leaders,” he remarked.

He also said the world community is praising the role of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she forwards the country amid the global crisis.

The countrymen are also with AL and the government as well, said Hasan.

Earlier, paying rich tribute to Syed Ashraful Islam, the minister said he was a freedom fighter and worthy son of Syed Nazrul Islam, one of the national leaders and acting president in absence of Bangabandhu during the Great Liberation War in 1971.

He said Syed Asharf was the AL’s general secretary for two times.

“His (Syed Asharf) death was unexpected,” he said, adding that he was a gentleman and not greedy.

Hasan said he (Syed Ashraf) took the politics as a vow and the new generation has a lot to learn from him.

The minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul of Syed Ashraf.

Syed Ashraf, also the then public administration minister, died at the age of 68 while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bangkok on 3 January in 2019. He had been suffering from lung cancer.

Ashraf was born in Mymensingh in 1952. His father Syed Nazrul Islam was acting president of Mujibnagar Government in 1971 and one of the key organisers of Bangladesh’s independence struggle.

Ashraf took part in the 1971 Liberation War after taking training from Dehradun in India. He was a member of Muktibahini.

He was actively involved in student politics. After the country’s independence, he became the general secretary of Mymensingh district Chhatra League and also served as assistant publicity secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League’s central committee.