Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), observed his 78th birthday on Sunday, receiving wishes from family, party colleagues and friends.
Fakhrul was born on January 26, 1948, in Thakurgaon. His father, the late Mirza Ruhul Amin, was a leader of the Muslim League and a minister in the Pakistan government.
As in previous years, the BNP leader celebrated his birthday with a low-key affair, with only family members, party leaders and activists offering their greetings.
Fakhrul began the day surrounded by his two daughters, Mirza Shamaruh and Mirza Safaruh, his wife Rahat Ara Begum and his grandchildren.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, senior party leaders, friends and well-wishers also called to wish him a ‘Happy Birthday’.
Fakhrul, who was involved in leftist politics during his student life, completed his graduation and post-graduation from Dhaka University’s Economics Department.
Later, he pursued a teaching career through the BCS examination. Fakhrul resigned from teaching in 1986 and formally entered politics.
In 1988, he won the Thakurgaon Municipality election and became its chairman.
In 1979, during Ziaur Rahman's government, Fakhrul served as the personal secretary to then Deputy Prime Minister SA Bari.
In 1992, he became the president of Thakurgaon District BNP and gradually rose through the ranks, from a member of the party’s executive committee to ultimately becoming the party's secretary general.
Before reaching the top leadership of BNP, he served as the first vice-president and later the president of the Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal for a long period.
Fakhrul was appointed 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 position five years later, in 2016.
He was elected MP from Thakurgaon-1 with the BNP ticket in 2001 and appointed as a state minister. He was also elected MP from the Bogura-6 seat in the 11th parliamentary election but has not yet taken the oath, as BNP rejected the election results.
MSH
