Thakurgaon: Orphans at this northwestern district today celebrated the birthday of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, offering special prayers for the elderly politician and seeking eternal blessings for the party’s deceased chairperson and former prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia. Alamgir turned 79 on Monday.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Ruhia Salehiya Daruchchunnat Orphanage, which hosts over 200 orphans, marked the birthday by reciting the Holy Qur’an (Khatm-e-Quran) and holding a doa mahfil. A special meal was served at the orphanage to commemorate the occasion, organized under the auspices of Swechchhasebak Dal’s assistant legal affairs secretary in central committee, Advocate Zakir Hossain Jewel.
Prayers were also offered seeking eternal peace for Begum Zia’s departed soul and long lives for BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman and Alamgir, along with hopes for a beautiful Bangladesh in the future. District Jubo Dal joint general secretary Ansarul Haque, district swechchhasebak dal president Masudur Rahman Munna, Ruhia Thana BNP president Abdul Jabbar, its vice president Abdul Malek Manik, joint general secretary Mokbul Hossain, and leaders of various affiliated organizations were present at the event.
Alamgir was born on January 26, 1948, in a Muslim family in Thakurgaon. Many people on the popular social media platform Facebook greeted him on his birthday, wishing him good health and political success.
Alamgir, married to Rahat Ara Begum, is a father of two daughters. The elder, Mirza Shamaruh, is a senior scientist in Australia’s Federal Medical Council in Canberra, while the younger, Mirza Safaruh, teaches at a school in the capital.
Alamgir completed his graduation and post-graduation in the Economics Department from Dhaka University. He was involved in leftist politics during his student life and later started his career in the teaching profession through the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination before resigning in 1986 to enter politics formally.
Alamgir served as the personal secretary to then Deputy Prime Minister SA Bari in 1979 during the government of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. He became Thakurgaon Municipality chairman by winning the election in 1988 and rose through the ranks of the BNP, eventually becoming the party’s secretary general in 2016. He was elected Member of Parliament (MP) from Thakurgaon-1 on a BNP ticket in 2001 and appointed as a cabinet member. Alamgir was imprisoned several times in different political cases during the regime of the Awami League.