UNB, Dhaka :
BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia turned ’71’ on Monday.
Unlike previous years, no cake was cut either by Khaleda or her party men at the wee hours on Sunday celebrating her birthday at her Gulshan office or BNP’s central office as per earlier announcement.
The party has arranged a doa and millad mahfil at its central office at 5pm on the occasion.
However, over 100 party leaders and activists standing in two queues in front of her Gulshan office greeted her when
she arrived there around 10:25pm on Sunday night. She left her office for her residence around 12:15am without cutting any cake on the occasion. Though some leaders and activists brought bouquets for wishing her on her birthday, they were not allowed to bring those inside her office by security men, forcing them to leave those behind at its main gate.
When BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed came with a bouquet in front of the office, security personnel told him, “Sir, there’s an instruction not to allow anyone entering the office with any flower.” Later, he entered the office without flowers.
Some other senior leaders were also seen entering the office leaving behind their bouquets either in their vehicles or at the entrance. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, vice chairmen Abdul Awal Mintoo, Joynal Abedin, Netai Roy Chowdhury, joint secretaries general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and Khairul Kabir Khokan, among others, went to the BNP chairperson’s office on Sunday night.
On Sunday, the BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told UNB that Khaleda Zia has decided not to cut any cake at the wee hours on Monday celebrating her 71st birthday this year.
“Madam [Khaleda] never celebrated her birthday on her own. Every year leaders and activists bring cakes on the occasion, and she cuts those showing respect to their emotion. This time she’s decided not to cut any cake as the country is in a serious crisis and party leaders and activists are being subjected to repressive acts while many flood victims are going through immense sufferings.
On the occasion, Sayrul said Khaleda has requested all to pray for her so that she can succeed in resorting democracy and people’s rights. He also said the BNP chief also did not cut any cake last year at her Gulshan office as she had not been there on that day as it was Friday.
Last year, she, however, cut cakes at night the following day and party leaders and activists also celebrated it on their own initiatives. Party insiders said there is also no scheduled programme to celebrate the birthday at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Monday. Party’s all units and associate bodies were also given verbal instruction not to cut any cake celebrating the birthday. The nation is observing the National Mourning Day on Monday commemorating the assassinations of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975.
Khaleda, a three-time Prime Minister, was born in 1946. But, there are a lot of debates about her actual date of birth. There is controversy over her birth year as well. Various records suggest Khaleda Zia was born in 1945 and she turned 72 yesterday. But last year her party claimed her actual birth year is 1946. She also registered her birth year 1946 in her new passport.
According to Banglapedia and well-known encyclopedias wikipedia and Britannica Khaleda Zia was born to Iskandar Majumder, a businessman, and Taiyaba Majumder in Dinajpur district in 1945. The biodata Khaleda Zia submitted to Parliament Secretariat when she was made the opposition leader last suggests that the BNP chief was born on August 15, 1945.
The controversy over the birthday began in 1991 when Khaleda first celebrated it on August 15 after assuming office as Prime Minister and declared it as her ‘official birthday’.
Awami League leaders have long been claiming that her birthday is September 5, 1945 according to her marriage certificate while August 19, 1946 as per her first passport. Khaleda herself put the date as August 9, 1944 while registering her name for her matriculation exams, they said.
BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia turned ’71’ on Monday.
Unlike previous years, no cake was cut either by Khaleda or her party men at the wee hours on Sunday celebrating her birthday at her Gulshan office or BNP’s central office as per earlier announcement.
The party has arranged a doa and millad mahfil at its central office at 5pm on the occasion.
However, over 100 party leaders and activists standing in two queues in front of her Gulshan office greeted her when
she arrived there around 10:25pm on Sunday night. She left her office for her residence around 12:15am without cutting any cake on the occasion. Though some leaders and activists brought bouquets for wishing her on her birthday, they were not allowed to bring those inside her office by security men, forcing them to leave those behind at its main gate.
When BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed came with a bouquet in front of the office, security personnel told him, “Sir, there’s an instruction not to allow anyone entering the office with any flower.” Later, he entered the office without flowers.
Some other senior leaders were also seen entering the office leaving behind their bouquets either in their vehicles or at the entrance. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, vice chairmen Abdul Awal Mintoo, Joynal Abedin, Netai Roy Chowdhury, joint secretaries general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and Khairul Kabir Khokan, among others, went to the BNP chairperson’s office on Sunday night.
On Sunday, the BNP chairperson’s media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told UNB that Khaleda Zia has decided not to cut any cake at the wee hours on Monday celebrating her 71st birthday this year.
“Madam [Khaleda] never celebrated her birthday on her own. Every year leaders and activists bring cakes on the occasion, and she cuts those showing respect to their emotion. This time she’s decided not to cut any cake as the country is in a serious crisis and party leaders and activists are being subjected to repressive acts while many flood victims are going through immense sufferings.
On the occasion, Sayrul said Khaleda has requested all to pray for her so that she can succeed in resorting democracy and people’s rights. He also said the BNP chief also did not cut any cake last year at her Gulshan office as she had not been there on that day as it was Friday.
Last year, she, however, cut cakes at night the following day and party leaders and activists also celebrated it on their own initiatives. Party insiders said there is also no scheduled programme to celebrate the birthday at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Monday. Party’s all units and associate bodies were also given verbal instruction not to cut any cake celebrating the birthday. The nation is observing the National Mourning Day on Monday commemorating the assassinations of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975.
Khaleda, a three-time Prime Minister, was born in 1946. But, there are a lot of debates about her actual date of birth. There is controversy over her birth year as well. Various records suggest Khaleda Zia was born in 1945 and she turned 72 yesterday. But last year her party claimed her actual birth year is 1946. She also registered her birth year 1946 in her new passport.
According to Banglapedia and well-known encyclopedias wikipedia and Britannica Khaleda Zia was born to Iskandar Majumder, a businessman, and Taiyaba Majumder in Dinajpur district in 1945. The biodata Khaleda Zia submitted to Parliament Secretariat when she was made the opposition leader last suggests that the BNP chief was born on August 15, 1945.
The controversy over the birthday began in 1991 when Khaleda first celebrated it on August 15 after assuming office as Prime Minister and declared it as her ‘official birthday’.
Awami League leaders have long been claiming that her birthday is September 5, 1945 according to her marriage certificate while August 19, 1946 as per her first passport. Khaleda herself put the date as August 9, 1944 while registering her name for her matriculation exams, they said.
