Mirza Fakhrul passes his birthday in prison

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir celebrated his 77th birthday at the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on Friday.

Mirza Fakhrul's wife Rahat Ara Begum, younger daughter Shfaru Mirza Shumi, and sister Nazma Kalam met him at the jail and wished him on birthday.

BNP chairperson's media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told Prothom Alo on Friday evening that relatives of Mirza Fakhrul went to the prison around 12:00 pm and stayed there for about 45 minutes with him. They also took foods of his likings, as well as a cake.

Mirza Fakhrul’s sister Nazma Kalam came from the US to meet her brother on his birthday, he added.

Mirza Fakhrul was born in Thakurgaon on 26 January 1948. He was involved with Bangladesh Chhatra Union at Dhaka University in the 1960s.

Later, he taught economics at government colleges. He was the state minister for agriculture during the BNP-led 4-Party alliance government in 2001.

Mirza Fakhrul, who was a joint secretary general at that time, became the acting secretary general of BNP after then-secretary general Khondkar Delwar Hossain died in March 2011. He was elected secretary general of the party in 2016.

Mirza Fakhrul has been in jail since 29 October when police arrested him a day after BNP leaders and activists engaged in clashes with the police centering the BNP grand rally on 28 October.