Tarique attends another London event of BNP

Barely a week after stirring fresh controversy by dubbing the family of Bangladesh's founding father Bangbandhu as a "curse for the nation" in London, Tarique Rahman joined another party event there.

BNP's UK unit organised the gathering to mark the party's founding anniversary at Autrium Banquetting Hall in East London in the early hours of Tuesday BdST.

Over 500 party activists attended the meeting presided over the party's UK chapter chief Shaesta Chowdhury Kuddus, and conducted by General Secretary Koysar Ahmed.

BNP's Senior Vice Chairman Tarique is expected to address the gathering.

A documentary made by 'Policy Forum' highlighting the contribution of party's founder Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and Tarique in taking the BNP forward was shown at the beginning of the function.

Earlier in the day, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim informed Parliament that Tarique's wife Zubaida Rahman had been fired by the health ministry for six years of absence.

Tarique went to London in September 2008 with his family for treatment and had been there since.

Zubaida's leave ended on Oct 11, 2011 and she applied to the ministry to get her leave extended but her last application was rejected.

The BNP leader, accused in a slew of cases including the Aug 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally, made his first public appearance in London in May last year.

Since then, he has been taking part in programmes by the BNP's foreign chapters. He even attended a programme of BNP's Malaysia unit.

In last July, he went to Saudi Arabia and performed Umrah with his mother Khaleda.

On Aug 25, he dubbed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's family a "curse" and termed the Awami League "a party of the disgraceful".

Several months back, at another programme, he claimed his father Ziaur Rahman was Bangladesh's first president and dubbed Bangabandhu an "illegal prime minister".

These remarks have drawn a barrage of criticism from ruling party leaders. Many have demanded that he be brought back to Bangladesh to stand trial.