BNP should join next election thru international mediation: Hafizuddin

Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s vice chairman and former minister major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed thinks the party should contest the next general election through a mediation of the international community.

“BNP should take part in the polls. I will contest from the BNP if it joins the polls,” Hafizuddin told Prothom Alo on Tuesday afternoon.

Hafizuddin suddenly hogged the headline as information minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday said the BNP leader is going to form a new political party.

Asked about the issue, Hafizuddin said, “I cannot keep updates of the political situation for the time being because I’m too ill. I am not in a condition to keep abreast of politics.”

Hafizuddin, however, said he will focus on politics once the schedule of the next general election is announced if his physical condition permits.

At that point he said the BNP should join the polls through the mediation of the international community but refrained from elaborating as to who would do the job.

At least 12 BNP top leaders including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been arrested since 28 October. BNP claimed over 8000 leaders-activists were arrested in this period.

As the next general election approaches, and the BNP continues its movement, the government is allegedly trying to split the party.

Information and broadcast minister and Awami League joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud said in a party rally on Monday that many are standing in queue to join Trinamool BNP while another party led by incumbent vice chairman major (retired) Hafizuddin Ahmed is going to emerge. They will hold a convention in Dhaka soon. Even if BNP does not join the polls, its leaders will join.

However, Hafizuddin said he is still in the BNP.

Several senior leaders of BNP told Prothom Alo that Hafizuddin is not active in the party for long and they have no knowledge of his activities.

They said a group of BNP leaders and activists led by two vice chairman Hafizuddin Ahmed and Shaukat Mahmood took position and demonstrated in the capital on 14 December 2020, defying the party order.

BNP then served these two leaders with show cause notice. At that time, the relationship strained between Hafizuddin and BNP.

Hafizuddin later responded to the show cause notice. Though BNP took no action against him, and he is still a vice chairman of the party.