Armed Forces Day reception at Senakunja has always been considered as an event that creates scope for incidental meeting between top leaders of all major political opponents but the programme yesterday saw nothing like that.
According to the layout of the programme Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the defence minister, hosted the reception at Senakuja.
As usual Hasina gave a speech in the programme and exchanged pleasantries with officials and family members of armed forces and dignitaries.
At the same programme last year guests were curious about the possibility of an incidental meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and then Opposition Leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia but Khaleda did not turn up.
Yesterday too Khaleda Zia, a former PM, opposition leader and also wife of former army chief Lt. General Ziaur Rahman, was invited on the occasion of celebrating glorious Armed Forces Day but she did not join the Senakunja reception.
Like last year, there was no official explanation as to why Khaleda refrained herself from joining the reception that she hosted for many years during her premiership.
Not only Khaleda, none from BNP joined the programme except for BNP’s standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman who has always been invited to the reception as a former chief of army staff.
Mahbub told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that Khaleda Zia was invited yesterday but he doesn’t know why she did not turn up
“I heard that Fakhrul Saheb (BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir) too was invited.”
Though Khaleda was absent Fakhurl last year joined the reception at Senakunja. But yesterday Fakhrul also abstained himself from participating the reception.
When contacted over phone, Fakhrul told the Dhaka Tribune, he had a per-scheduled public rally in Bogra and that is why he could not attend the reception.
When asked why BNP Chairperson Khaleda did not join yesterday, Fakhrul said: “Madam was a bit sick.”
However, former army chief Mahbub gave a different version: “Khaleda needs help of others when she moves somewhere. I guess, as her personal attendants were not invited she could not come to the programme.”
Jatiya Party and Opposition Leader Rawshan Ershad was also absent from the reception programme yesterday.
Rawshan’s Political Secretary Golam Moshi told the Dhaka Tribune that the leader of the Opposition was in Singapore for treatment.
But Jatiya Party chairman and former army chief HM Ershad, also a special envoy of PM Hasina attended the reception. Leaders of many left political parties were also present at the reception.
Prime Minister Hasina in her speech expressed her hope that armed forces would make more contribution to building the country maintaining discipline and professional efficiency.
Hasina said: “The armed forces radiant with the Liberation War spirit is our national pride.”
Citing the steps taken by her government for the development and modernization of Army, Navy and Air Force, Hasina said, she wants continuous prosperity of the armed forces.
“Our government wants to see a disciplined, efficient, modern and well-equipped armed forces.”
“We will do all needed to build a modern armed force,” said the premier.
