A 10-member medical board has suggested taking BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for better treatment. But whether he can go abroad or not, the discussion has taken a new turn due to the order issued by the High Court on June 13 in view of a writ.
According to the order of the High Court, various documents related to Khaleda Zia's birthday have been sent. What the High Court decides now is quite significant; Similarly, Khaleda Zia's passport will be required to go abroad. But that passport has been lying in the concerned department for the last one and a half months. It cannot be obtained without the consent of the government and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The date of birth of the passport submitted for renewal on May 6 was mentioned as August 15, 1946. The same date of birth is also mentioned in Khaleda Zia's National Identity Card (NID). As a result, the court's decision on Khaleda Zia's birthday on August 15 is quite significant; Similarly, whether the government will issue a passport on the said birthday or not is also very important.
According to many, the writ petition in the High Court, getting Khaleda Zia's passport and traveling abroad for treatment—all are a saga. But the main thing is, for all these things his birthday has to be settled first. BNP thinks that the government is playing politics to change that date. According to party leaders, the writ petition in the High Court is part of that pressure. In other words, Khaleda Zia has to be flexible in order to get a passport. But no one thinks that Khaleda Zia will finally agree to it due to political reasons.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir termed the incident of writ in the High Court as 'unfortunate' and said last Monday, 'The country is running under one-party rule. Judiciary is not free—this is its proof. They should not have entertained it (the writ petition). They should be hell bent.' He said, 'Now no one can be born on a particular date, it can only be announced.'
Barrister Zamiruddin Sarkar, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, told Kal Kantha, 'We have not decided what to do yet. However, it seems that the writ petition in the High Court has not been done just like that, there is an intention. In a disappointed voice, he said, 'It is a pity that the government is playing politics even with the treatment of a three-time prime minister.'
The founder of public health Dr. According to Zafrullah Chowdhury, 'Politics is going on over Khaleda Zia's treatment. But it was better not to be.' He said, 'It is normal for the government to be sensitive about August 15. But it is also true that most of the people in our country who are sixty or seventy don't have a birthday. Because the parents of that period did not write down the child's birthday.' 'Writ petition in the High Court, Khaleda Zia's foreign travel and getting the passport are all part of politics. But it is also true, it is not right for BNP to celebrate its birthday on August 15. It is me who stopped it, claimed this prominent freedom fighter.
On August 15, 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed in his family. As a result, there is anger in almost all quarters apart from the ruling Awami League regarding the birthday celebration on that day. Even senior most leaders of BNP are not in favor of celebrating birthday on 15th August. BNP withdrew from the ceremony of cutting the cake on August 15 since 2015 due to their pressure.
After coming to power in the 1991 elections, Khaleda Zia's birthday was celebrated on August 15 on the advice of some enthusiastic officials of the then government and some junior leaders of the BNP. This level increased after 1996 due to the activities of some leaders and supporters of intellectuals known as right wing. While in the opposition party, Khaleda Zia was guided to such a position by the advice of those officials and leaders at 29 Minto Road and later at the Gulshan office; Which is being evaluated as 'wrong' for today's politics by senior leaders of BNP. They say that those officials in BNP have now become 'past'. They are nowhere. But the burden of that incident now has to be borne by the senior leaders of the party.
On the condition of anonymity, several leaders of the party's standing committee told Kal Kantha that Khaleda Zia's birthday or any other information was not fixed by her. Everything from his bank account to his passport, NID etc. was done under the advice or supervision of different people who were by his side all the time. But no work has ever been coordinated anywhere. As a result, today's situation has been created.
In the writ petition filed in the High Court on May 31, the writ petitioner mentioned Khaleda Zia's multiple birthdays. Among them, it has been requested to take action in this regard citing different dates of his SSC mark sheet, date of birth in marriage registration, date of birth in machine readable passport and last coronavirus test report.
However, BNP has been alleging that government supporters manipulated the date of the coronavirus report and spread misinformation. The party's general secretary Mirza Fakhrul termed the incident as 'fake'. He told Kal Kantha on Tuesday, 'The writ has been issued on Khaleda Zia's date of birth to mislead the people. Their purpose is one; Diverting people's attention from the main problems of the country.'
