BNP ex-MP Maj (retd) Akhtaruzzaman joins Jamaat

Former BNP lawmaker and freedom fighter Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman has joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

He formally joined the party on Saturday morning by filling out Jamaat’s associate member form during a meeting with Jamaat Amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman at the party’s central office in Dhaka, according to a statement issued by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Publicity Department.

Jamaat Secretary General and former MP Mia Golam Parwar and Assistant Secretary General Maulana Abdul Halim were present at the ceremony, which took place at around 9:00am on December 13.

The statement said that, in the presence of the Jamaat chief, Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman expressed his confidence and satisfaction with the party’s principles and ideals, as well as its stance on patriotism and the protection of the country’s independence and sovereignty.

He pledged to devote the rest of his life to the protection of Islam and Islamic values, as well as the interests, independence and sovereignty of the country. He also committed to remaining loyal to Jamaat-e-Islami’s rules, ideology, party discipline and organisational principles.

Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman welcomed him warmly and wished him a long and prosperous life.

Jamaat-e-Islami described Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman as a heroic freedom fighter of the Liberation War, a veteran politician and a prominent figure in various democratic movements. 

A retired major of the Bangladesh Army, he was elected twice as a Member of Parliament from the Kishoreganj-2 constituency (Katiyadi-Pakundia) on a BNP ticket and has remained active in advocating for the dignity and fair recognition of freedom fighters.