BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman will be leading the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election scheduled for February.
Humayun Kabir, foreign affairs adviser to the party’s acting chairman, provided this information in response to journalists’ questions at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday morning after returning from attending the UN General Assembly session in the United States.
He said the national election will be held in February and that Tarique Rahman “will be leading BNP in the coming election.”
In response to a question about when Tarique Rahman would return to the country, his foreign affairs adviser said, “Since he will lead the party, it is only natural for him to return to the country. You will know when the date for his arrival is fixed.”
In the 2001 Sixth National Parliamentary Election, Khaleda Zia led the party in the election. During that time, Tarique Rahman played a significant role in the electoral process.
After BNP’s establishment, the party first participated in the Second Parliamentary Election in 1979. In that election, they won 207 seats under the leadership of Ziaur Rahman. After his death, Khaleda Zia took over the party’s leadership.
Under her leadership, BNP participated in the Fifth Parliamentary election in 1991, the Sixth and Seventh in 1996, the Eighth in 2001, and the Ninth in 2008.
In 2018, after Khaleda Zia was imprisoned, the Jatiya Oikya Front participated in the 11th Parliamentary Election that year under BNP’s leadership. This alliance was led by Dr Kamal Hossain.
Responding to a question about the demands of expatriates, Humayun Kabir said, “The chief adviser spoke about it at the UN National Assembly; the issue was prominent in his speech. We, BNP, the major political party of Bangladesh, have supported the demands of the expatriates so that it is implemented.”
He added, “The chief adviser led the Bangladeshi delegation at the General Assembly session. There was representation across political parties. It was to show that Bangladesh is unifying, and Bangladesh stands high in the international forum.”
When asked about the incident of harassment against the Bangladeshi delegation at New York’s JFK Airport on 23 September, Humayun Kabir said, “The egg-throwing incident does not tarnish the country’s image; rather, it has proven the fascistic character of the Awami League once again. This has made it clear why their political activities were banned in Bangladesh. It has been proven that it was the correct decision.”
He also said, “It was a failure of the government’s coordination, a failure of the embassy’s coordination… basically, those who were in charge of protocol there. We have addressed it. The chief adviser has confirmed that there will be action on their return.”
In conclusion, the adviser to the acting chairman said that the New York visit has been a “successful” one.
