by Selim Zahid in Prothom Alo, Nov 4, 2023
BNP’s leaders and activists are worried about the senior leaders of the party being arrested one after the other. Most of the leaders are in hiding at present, in order to avoid arrest. There is concern in the party as to what direction the movement will take in the days to come if things continue in this manner.
The arrest of the important BNP presidium member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, after the arrest of the party’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has particularly been a cause for concern among the field level leaders and workers. Amir Khasru is the head of BNP’s international affairs committee. He maintains liaison with the outside world on behalf of BNP. Party leaders feel his arrest will hamper this line of communication.
The arrest of the head of BNP’s media cell, Zahir Uddin Swapan, has also caused anxiety for the party men. Zahir Uddin is involved in intellectual activities. They are concerned about the speedy arrest of even a leader like him in a case regarding the 28 October incidents. He was made the convener of BNP’s media cell a year or so ago. The media cell under his leadership became extremely active on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Many of the leaders and activists say that the arrest of Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Zahir Uddin Swapan is particularly significant on two heads. One was arrested to sever BNP’s international connections. The other was to put a dampener of BNP’s movement and programmes being publicised in the media, including the social media. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/politics/ni9jcq2168
