BNP's names 17 members of the policymaking Standing Committee

The BNP has named the members of its policymaking National Standing Committee, nearly four and a half months into its term that began with the party's National Council held in March.

The new inclusions are former Cabinet minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and former junior minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday unveiled the new committee before the media at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters.

Former commerce minister Amir Khosru now heads the party’s Chittagong metropolitan chapter unit. He was an adviser to Khaleda during the last term.

Salahuddin is now in India, where he is facing trial for illegal trespass after going ‘missing’ from Dhaka last year. During the last term, he served as the joint secretary general.

On Saturday, the party announced names of 17 members of the 19-strong body.

Mirza Fakhrul is also a new inclusion in it after being made the secretary general. The remaining two names will be announced later, he told the press briefing.

The new committee consists of 14 members of the previous term.

M Shamsul Islam and Sarowary Rahman, absent from party programmes for long due to illness, have been dropped from the standing committee. Rahman, however, has been included in the panel of party chief’s advisers.

The previous committee’s members RA Gani and Khandaker Delwar Hossain have died while Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has been executed for 1971 war crimes.

As the chairperson, Khaleda Zia heads the national standing committee.

The names of the members of the committee are announced according to seniority. The second name is Tarique Rahman’s, who is the party’s senior vice-chairman.

The others are Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, Tariqul Islam, Mahbubur Rahman, ASM Hannan Shah, MK Anwar, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chanra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed.

Salahuddin is the junior-most with his name put out as the 19th member. Names of the 17th and 18th members have been not announced.

The BNP amended its charter during its fifth national council in 2009, when it increased the number of members for its policymaking standing committee from 13 to 19.

The party’s sixth council was held on Mar 19 this year and ten days later, Mirza Fakhrul’s name was announced as the secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi as the senior joint secretary general and Mizanur Rahman Sinha as the treasurer.

Since then the party has announced names of 42 persons as joint secretaries general, organising secretaries and assistant organising secretaries in three phases until Saturday, when it also announced names for members of its National Executive Committee.