BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir celebrated his 79th birthday on Monday. Marking the occasion, the former minister expressed a firm commitment to establishing a democratic and non-discriminatory “New Bangladesh”.
In his birthday message, the veteran leader cautioned that a specific quarter is attempting to erase the history of the 1971 Liberation War from the consciousness of the younger generation. He called upon all citizens to remain vigilant against such conspiracies.
Throughout the day, he was greeted with well-wishes from party activists, supporters, and people from across the social spectrum.
Academic Excellence and Early Career Born on 26 January 1948 in Thakurgaon, Mirza Fakhrul is the son of the late Mirza Ruhul Amin (Chokha Mia), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament multiple times, and the late Mirza Fatema Amin,.
Mirza Fakhrul’s background is rooted in academia; he earned his graduation and post-graduation degrees in Economics from the University of Dhaka. After qualifying for the BCS examination in 1972, he joined the education cadre and taught Economics at various government institutions, including Dhaka College. He also served as an auditor for the Government of Bangladesh’s Inspection and Audit Directorate.
His political journey began during his student years at the University of Dhaka, where he was a member of the East Pakistan Student Union. He served as the General Secretary of the SM Hall branch and was later elected President of the university unit, playing a pivotal role in the 1969 Mass Uprising.
In 1979, during the tenure of President Ziaur Rahman, he served as the Private Secretary to the then Deputy Prime Minister, SA Bari. Following Bari’s resignation in 1982 under the Ershad regime, he returned to his academic roots, teaching at Thakurgaon Government College until 1986.
Leadership Within the BNP Mirza Fakhrul transitioned to active politics in 1986 and was elected Chairman of the Thakurgaon Municipality in 1988. He joined the BNP during the anti-autocracy movement and rose to become the President of the party’s Thakurgaon district unit in 1992.
He represented the Thakurgaon-1 constituency as a Member of Parliament twice and held the position of State Minister in the cabinet of Begum Khaleda Zia. Although he was elected from the Bogra-6 seat in the 11th National Parliamentary Election in 2018, he chose not to take his oath in parliament.
Following the passing of Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain in 2011, he was appointed Acting Secretary General, before being officially elected to the post during the BNP’s sixth national council on 19 March 2016.
A Legacy of Struggle For the past decade and a half, Mirza Fakhrul has steered the BNP through significant political turbulence. During the tenure of the previous Awami League government, he faced multiple imprisonments in cases he maintains were politically motivated.
