60 eminent citizens seek Mirza Fakhrul’s release
As many as 60 wellwishers and friends of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have issued a statement demanding his release ‘for sake of strengthening the process of taking the country towards democracy’.
The eminent citizens made the demand through a statement signed by DU’s physics department professor ABM Obaidul Islam. The statement was sent to media on Thursday.
Most of the signatories of the statement are former and current teachers of Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University and Khulna University.
The statement reads that Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was detained from his home on 8 December midnight without any arrest warrant. He has not been granted bail as of now.
They learnt from Fakhrul’s family sources that the BNP leader is ailing right now and physicians asked him to be taken abroad for treatment.
“Mirza Fakhrul is doing politics with an aim to strengthening the country’s democratic structure. We, friends and well-wishers of Mirza Fakhrul, are worried about his health,” the statement reads.
Signatories to the statement are: veteran politician Badruddin Umar; Dhaka University (DU) Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury; former vice chancellor of DU Anwarullah Chowdhury; retired professor of Bangla department Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque; professor Mahbub Ullah of department of Development Studies; Wahiduddin Mahmud of Economics department; former Bangladesh Bank governor Salehuddin Ahmed; professor Ahmed Kamal of DU History department; Saidur Rahman, Professor of Bangla department; Jahangirnagar University Economics department’s retired professor Anu Muhammad; emeritus professor ATM Nurul Amin; professor Sadrul Amin of DU English Department; professor of Marketing Syed Abul Kalam Azad; professor Akmal Hossain of department of International Relations; Yusuf Haider, professor of physics; chemistry department professor Tazmeri Islam; professor CR Abrar of International Relations department; political science Professor Tasneem Siddiqui; International Relations professor Tanjim Uddin Khan; professor ABM Obaidul Islam of department of physics; Professor of Chemistry Abdus Salam; professor MA Majid of Pharmaceutical Chemistry department; Business Administration department’s professor Mohiuddin; professor Mamun Ahmed of department of biochemistry and molecular biology; professor Akhtar Hussain Khan of Soil, Water and Environment department; professor Abdur Rashid of Pharmaceutical Chemistry department; Professor of biochemistry and molecular Yarul Kabir; Persian Language and Literature department professor Abul Kalam Sarkar; professor of Political Science Dil Roshan Jinnat Ara; professor Saifuddin of Peace and Conflict Studies; Botany department professor Md Abdul Karim; professor Nurul Amin of Applied Chemistry; professor Sirajul Islam of Education and Research Institute; professor Siddiqur Rahman Khan of Islamic History; associate professor Md Shafi Mustafa of World Theology department; associate professor Kazi Mahbubur Rahman of political science department; associate professor Debashish Pal of department of Fine Arts; associate professor of Accounting and Information Systems Al Amin, assistant professor Md Saiful Alam; former dean of Khulna University’s Science, Engineering and Technology School Rezaul Karim; professor of business administration discipline Md Nurunnabi; professor Mohammad Nazmus Shahadat of forestry and wood technology discipline.
The signatories also include Jahangirnagar University’s retired professor of government and politics department Dilara Chowdhury; professor of geography and environment department Mohammad Nurul Islam; professor of government and politics department Shamsul Alam; professor of philosophy Kamrul Ahsan; professor of Mathematics Nazrul Islam; professor Soma Momtaz of department of Drama; professor F Nazrul Islam of department of Physics of Rajshahi University; professor Masudul Hasan Khan of department of Biochemistry and Microbiology; professor Saidur Rahman Pannu of department of Statistics; professor Fazlul Haque of department of Islamic History; professor Amzad Hossain of department of Finance; Chemistry department professor Shahed Zaman; Biochemistry department professor Matiar Rahman, Zoology department professor Habibur Rahman, Biochemistry department professor Rezaul Karim, Agrani Bank’s former general manager Nasser Bakhtiar, World Health Organization’s (WHO) South East Asia regional advisor Majharul Haque and former ambassador Sirajul Islam.