Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia did not attend the Armed Forces Day functions at Dhaka Cantonment on Thursday for the third time during the tenure of the Grand Alliance government.
Published : 21 Nov 2013, 07:22 PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had arrived at Senakunja around 4pm Thursday.
The Armed Forces Day was observed there. Politicians, diplomats and high-ranking civil servants, businesspersons, serving and retired military officers were present.
Even though the BNP Chairperson did not come, party acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and several other senior leaders attended the functions.
They could not say why the Leader of the Opposition did not turn up.
Khaleda Zia had attended the programmes at Senakunja last year. But she and the Prime Minister did not have a conversation.
The two heads of the two most influential political parties in Bangladesh had stayed away from each other during the entire programme.
Earlier too, the BNP chief attended the programme in 2009. She did not show up in 2010 and 2011, after she had to leave her her Cantonment house after 28 years ,at the behest of the government.
In their last meeting on the Armed Forces Day in 2009, Khaleda and Hasina had even exchanged greetings.