Sunday, 22 December, 2024
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia made a rare public appearance on Thursday, attending the Armed Forces Day reception at Dhaka Cantonment’s Senakunja. This marked her first public event in six years and her return to the annual ceremony after 12 years.
Khaleda, a two-time former prime minister, arrived at Senakunja at 3:35 pm, accompanied by her family members and close associates. She was warmly welcomed by Army Chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan.
Seated next to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, Khaleda exchanged greetings with him and other dignitaries present at the event, which brought together political leaders, diplomats, senior civil servants, business figures, and journalists.
The BNP leader was accompanied by Sharmila Rahman, her late son Arafat Rahman Coco’s wife; Nasrin Ahmed, the wife of her late brother Sayeed Iskander; and Kaniz Fatema, her younger brother Shamim Iskandar's wife. Also present in her entourage was AZM Zahid Hossain, a BNP Standing Committee member and her physician.
Khaleda departed her Gulshan residence, ‘Feroza,’ at 3:30 pm in a white Pajero jeep, escorted by Military Police pilot cars and an army ambulance.
On Tuesday night, the Chief of General Staff of the Army, Lt Gen Mizanur Rahman Shamim, and Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lt Gen ASM Kamrul Ahsan, personally delivered the invitation to Khaleda at her residence.
This year’s Armed Forces Day programme commenced at 4 pm, with Muhammad Yunus attending as the chief guest in the absence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August amidst political unrest. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 26 other BNP leaders were also invited to the event.
Armed Forces Day, observed annually on November 21, commemorates the coordinated attack by Bangladesh’s army, navy, and air force against occupying Pakistani forces during the Liberation War in 1971. The Senakunja reception is the highlight of the day’s celebrations.
Khaleda Zia last attended the Armed Forces Day reception in 2012 as the Leader of the Opposition. Her absence in subsequent years followed her eviction from her cantonment residence and her incarceration in a corruption case in 2018. Invitations to her were also discontinued during this period.
The Senakunja reception has historically provided a rare setting for interactions between Bangladesh’s two leading political figures—Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and Khaleda Zia. In 2012, despite political tensions over the caretaker government system, both attended the event, though they avoided direct interaction.
Their last joint appearance at the reception was in 2009, early in Sheikh Hasina’s current tenure as prime minister. Khaleda’s presence at this year’s event adds a significant dimension to the evolving political landscape, especially amid heightened political uncertainty in the country.
3 Advisers Engage in Cordial Exchanges with Khaleda Zia
The interim government's three young advisers-Mahfuj Alam, Md Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan-- today exchanged greetings with BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
The trio, who were key coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement that ousted Sheikh Hasina, met Begum Zia at the reception programme of Armed Forces Day at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment, said BNP media cell sources.
Advisers Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan shared photos and videos of exchanging pleasantries with the 79-year-old three-time prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia from their verified Facebook page.
Apart from the advisers, during the reception ceremony, leaders of different political parties, senior government officials and diplomats exchanged pleasantries with her.
The BNP chairperson, party's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 23 other leaders, including Standing Committee members, were invited to join the event.
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BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia made a rare public appearance on Thursday, attending the Armed Forces Day reception at Dhaka Cantonment’s Senakunja. This marked her first public event in six years and her return to the annual ceremony after 12 years.
Khaleda, a two-time former prime minister, arrived at Senakunja at 3:35 pm, accompanied by her family members and close associates. She was warmly welcomed by Army Chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan.
Seated next to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, Khaleda exchanged greetings with him and other dignitaries present at the event, which brought together political leaders, diplomats, senior civil servants, business figures, and journalists.
The BNP leader was accompanied by Sharmila Rahman, her late son Arafat Rahman Coco’s wife; Nasrin Ahmed, the wife of her late brother Sayeed Iskander; and Kaniz Fatema, her younger brother Shamim Iskandar's wife. Also present in her entourage was AZM Zahid Hossain, a BNP Standing Committee member and her physician.
Khaleda departed her Gulshan residence, ‘Feroza,’ at 3:30 pm in a white Pajero jeep, escorted by Military Police pilot cars and an army ambulance.
On Tuesday night, the Chief of General Staff of the Army, Lt Gen Mizanur Rahman Shamim, and Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lt Gen ASM Kamrul Ahsan, personally delivered the invitation to Khaleda at her residence.
This year’s Armed Forces Day programme commenced at 4 pm, with Muhammad Yunus attending as the chief guest in the absence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August amidst political unrest. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 26 other BNP leaders were also invited to the event.
Armed Forces Day, observed annually on November 21, commemorates the coordinated attack by Bangladesh’s army, navy, and air force against occupying Pakistani forces during the Liberation War in 1971. The Senakunja reception is the highlight of the day’s celebrations.
Khaleda Zia last attended the Armed Forces Day reception in 2012 as the Leader of the Opposition. Her absence in subsequent years followed her eviction from her cantonment residence and her incarceration in a corruption case in 2018. Invitations to her were also discontinued during this period.
The Senakunja reception has historically provided a rare setting for interactions between Bangladesh’s two leading political figures—Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and Khaleda Zia. In 2012, despite political tensions over the caretaker government system, both attended the event, though they avoided direct interaction.
Their last joint appearance at the reception was in 2009, early in Sheikh Hasina’s current tenure as prime minister. Khaleda’s presence at this year’s event adds a significant dimension to the evolving political landscape, especially amid heightened political uncertainty in the country.
3 Advisers Engage in Cordial Exchanges with Khaleda Zia
The interim government's three young advisers-Mahfuj Alam, Md Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan-- today exchanged greetings with BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
The trio, who were key coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement that ousted Sheikh Hasina, met Begum Zia at the reception programme of Armed Forces Day at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment, said BNP media cell sources.
Advisers Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan shared photos and videos of exchanging pleasantries with the 79-year-old three-time prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia from their verified Facebook page.
Apart from the advisers, during the reception ceremony, leaders of different political parties, senior government officials and diplomats exchanged pleasantries with her.
The BNP chairperson, party's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 23 other leaders, including Standing Committee members, were invited to join the event.
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