BNP mum on Nizami's execution

BNP remained mum as usual over the execution of war criminal and former minister of the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami-led four-party alliance Motiur Rahman Nizami in the early hours yesterday.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir cancelled his two scheduled programmes, including a press conference, yesterday to, as per party insiders, avoid the media over issues concerning the Jamaat ameer.

Contacted over the phone last evening, Fakhrul suggested getting a reaction from Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed and hung up before he could be asked the reason for the cancellation.

Afterwards, neither he nor Rizvi could be reached over the phone despite repeated attempts last night.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office said Fakhrul was suffering from fever.

This correspondent got to know about the cancellation through text messages, the first received at 10:40pm on Tuesday on the press conference scheduled to be held at BNP's Nayapaltan headquarters at 10:30am.

The second was received at around 9:42am yesterday, stating that Fakhrul cancelled a protest rally of National Democratic Party in Photo Journalist Association Auditorium for a “special cause”.

Contacted, several BNP leaders disagreed to comment on the “special cause”.

The rally was over “false cases and indecent remarks against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and killing of 84 persons during the union parishad polls”.

BNP Standing Committee Member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said he personally showed respect to the Supreme Court verdict.  

Earlier, there was no reaction from BNP after the execution of three top Jamaat leaders including Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.

It even did not come up with a formal reaction after execution of its standing committee member, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, on November 22, 2015.