BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stepped into 76 on Thursday with birthday wishes pouring in for him.
As in previous years, the BNP leader had a low-profile birthday celebration with only family members and party leaders and activists wishing him on the occasion.
Fakhrul woke up in the morning with his elder daughter Mirza Shamaruh wising him ‘happy birthday’ over the phone from Australia followed by his younger daughter Mirza Safaruh and wife Rahat Ara Begum.
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Talking to UNB, the BNP leader said there was no formal programme to celebrate his birthday, but BNP leaders and activists, his relatives, and friends from home and abroad wished him on the occasion.
Fakhrul said he took breakfast with his wife in the morning at their Uttara residence and then set out for BNP's Nayapaltan central office. “On the way to the office, I received phone calls from my many party colleagues who wished me happy birthday.”
As he reached the BNP office, many leaders and activists present there received him and exchanged birthday greetings.
About his feelings on the birthday, Fakhrul said, “Birthday means I’m losing another year from my life and getting older.”
He said he has no good feelings on the birthday when people are going through a very difficult time and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia passing through a serious ordeal staying under house arrest. “What to say about the birthday in such a situation? I’ve just stepped into 76 and my time is coming to an end.”
Fakhrul was born on January 26, 1948 in Thakurgaon. His father late Mirza Ruhul Amin was a Muslim League leader and a minister of the Pakistan government.
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Fakhrul, who had involvement with left politics during his student life, completed his graduation and post-graduation from Dhaka University’s Economics department.
Later, he took up teaching as his profession through the BCS examination. Fakhrul quit teaching during the 80s and joined politics formally.
He was elected MP from Thakurgaon-1 with BNP’s ticket in 2001 and then made a state minister. He was also elected MP from the Bogura-6 seat in the 11th parliamentary election. But he did not take oath as BNP rejected the election results.
Fakhrul was made acting secretary general of BNP after the death of the party’s then secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain in 2011. He was given full charge of the party’s secretary general five years later in 2016.
Source: United News of Bangladesh