After forming party, the BNP has never been able to arrange its council on time.
There hasn’t been any exception this time since the party leaders have not been able to fix possible dates for holding a council. According to them, since the party head is in prison, the seventh national council may not happen any time soon.
As per BNP’s organogram, the tenure of the executive committee is three years and the last council was held six years after the fixed time.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, says: “Work is underway to restructure district committee and sister organisations.”
Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, adds: “The council has to be held but a definite date cannot be stated at a time when the country is passing through an unsettling period.”
Another standing committee member, Lt. Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, says: “Preparations are being taken but work is impeded since the chairperson is behind bars.”
The first council was held in September 1978 with Dr. Badruddoza Chowdhury as the secretary general followed by ones held in 1982, 1989, 1993, 2009 and 2016.
In 2016, Khaleda Zia was elected chairperson and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected secretary general.
At the birth anniversary of president Ziaur Rahman on Jan 18, BNP standing committee member Dr. Khondokar Mosharraf Hossain, said: “To make a political turnaround, BNP has to be restructured; people have to be freed from jail and tested people have to be brought forward.”
However, a large number of BNP leaders feel that the main target of the party will be to strengthen sister bodies and add more impetus to the movement to secure release for Khaleda Zia.