Is Zubaida joining politics?
A billboard at Kakoli intersection in the capital highlights Tarique Rahman's wife Zubaida Khan Rahman, right in the upper row, along with BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and their son Tarique, raising the question of whether Zubaida would enter the political arena. Photo: Star
A billboard at the capital's Kakoli intersection has raised a question among people whether Zubaida Khan Rahman, wife of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, is joining politics.
Erected recently, the large billboard contains Zubaida's portrait along with BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman, his wife and party chairperson Khaleda Zia, and their son Tarique Rahman.
A few yards away, attached to the second foot bridge in Kakoli, stands another same but smaller billboard. Both the billboards have been sponsored by BNP's wing Swechchhasebak Dal (Dhaka north).
The billboards remind of the BNP standing committee meeting held in June this year where some party leaders, including Rafiqul Islam Mia, proposed that the party chief's daughter-in-law join politics to bring a new image and fresh blood in the party.
In reply, Khaleda had only rendered a smile.
Zubaida has been living in London with her husband since 2008, when Tarique obtained bail from the Supreme Court on medical grounds in several cases filed by the last military-backed caretaker government.
Sources close to Zubaida told The Daily Star that she would not do anything without the consent of her husband and mother-in-law.
Mir Sharfat Ali, general secretary of Swechchhasebak Dal, told The Daily Star that they thought Zubaida, as a member of the Zia family, would naturally enter political arena when needed. That is why they put her portrait along with the party icons.
BNP sources said a section of party leaders wanted to use Zubaida's "clean and good image" to boost the main opposition party.
They thought well-educated Zubaida had grown enough to join politics, as from behind the scene she had closely seen many rises and falls in politics, the sources added.
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