The National Citizens Party (NCP), formed by student leaders of the July mass uprising, was officially launched today at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka. Thousands of supporters from across the country gathered, carrying banners and national flags. The party, founded under the National Citizens Committee and Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, appointed Md. Nahid Islam as convener and Akhtar Hossain as member secretary. Security, medical teams, and other facilities were arranged. Nahid Islam resigned from the Interim Government’s Advisory Council to lead the new party.

A two-member delegation from BNP, including Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, will attend the launch event of the new political party ‘National Citizens Party’ in Dhaka. The party is being formed by the National Citizens Committee and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Invitations for the event were sent to key BNP leaders, including Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. The launch will take place on Friday afternoon at Manik Mia Avenue.

The National Citizens’ Party, launched by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens’ Committee, began its formation ceremony today. As students gathered for the event, the Friday Jummah prayers were conducted at the venue, with one of the committee leaders performing the Imam duties. The inauguration took place on Manik Mia Avenue, in front of the National Parliament building, with the party’s formal announcement set for 3 PM.

In the Patuakhali Bar Association elections held on Thursday, BNP-backed candidates won all nine positions. No candidates from the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Lawyers Council Panel were successful, and the Awami League-backed candidates did not participate. Out of 567 voters, 396 cast their votes. Humayun Kabir won the president’s seat with 221 votes, defeating Jamaat’s Advocate Nazmul Ahsan, who received 137 votes. Mohammad Salauddin was elected unopposed as the General Secretary.

Shahjibazar Power Plant in Habiganj, which has three plants with a combined capacity of 490 MW, is only producing 30 MW of electricity. Among the remaining two plants, the 100 MW unit has operated for just 67 days in the past four years since its inauguration. The largest 330 MW plant suffered fire damage in 2022 and, due to delays in repairs, has not yet resumed production. Stakeholders are viewing this as a deep conspiracy, with daily losses amounting to 40 million BDT. Several officials from the Power Development Board have pointed out that former State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid is responsible for these losses.

The National Citizens’ Party (NCP) is set to launch today (Feb 28) at Manik Mia Avenue, Dhaka, under the initiative of the National Citizens’ Committee and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Over 500,000 attendees are expected, with three-tier security in place. Families of July movement victims, political leaders, and diplomats will join. Nahid Islam, who resigned from the interim government, will serve as convener. Key leadership roles have been assigned. Separate booths for women, medical teams, and VIP arrangements are part of the event’s setup.

Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser, has been invited to the launch event of the new political party, the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), which is being formed by young leaders of the recent mass uprising. On Thursday afternoon, a delegation led by coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud delivered the invitation letter to the Chief Adviser’s office. In a Facebook post, Masud wrote, “I handed over the invitation for the post-2024 new political party’s launch event and took his blessings.” Reports indicate that Nahid Islam has been appointed as the party’s convenor, while Akhtar Hossain will serve as the member secretary.

On Thursday morning, immigration police at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport arrested an Awami League leader from Habiganj while he was attempting to flee to Saudi Arabia. The arrested individual, Md. Amzad Ali (70), is the Senior Vice President of the Sadar Upazila Awami League. According to the police, an investigation revealed that Ali was involved in an attack on students and protesters during an anti-discrimination movement in Habiganj on August 2 last year.

At a conference for upazila and thana-level leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Rangpur-Dinajpur region, held at Model College Auditorium in Rangpur on Thursday, Jamaat’s central Assistant Secretary General, Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, accused the Awami League of inflating voter rolls with two crore fake voters over the past 16 years. He stressed the need to cancel these fraudulent voter lists and conduct local government elections as soon as possible based on a transparent and accurate voter registration process.

At a regional Jamaat-e-Islami conference in Rangpur-Dinajpur, Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, Jamaat’s central assistant secretary-general, demanded local government elections before national polls. He alleged that the Awami League manipulated voter lists over 16 years, adding two crore fake voters, and insisted on a transparent electoral roll before holding local government elections.

Under the ongoing ‘Operation Devil Hunt,’ law enforcement arrested 42 Awami League and Chhatra League activists in Chattogram within 24 hours. ADC (Public Relations) Mahmudah Begum confirmed that the arrests were made on charges of inciting unrest, attacking student protesters, and violating laws under special powers, anti-terrorism, and penal codes. The accused have been sent to jail.

Rajshahi University administration has announced the roadmap for the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RAKSU) election, with voting expected in the third or fourth week of June.
• Until March 28: Teachers and students can submit recommendations on the draft RAKSU regulations.
• April 13: Finalization of election code of conduct.
• April 28: Publication of the draft voter list, with objections accepted until April 30.
• May 13: Final voter list published.
• May 15-19: Nomination papers will be distributed and submitted.
• May 20: Scrutiny and verification of nominations.
• May 22: Preliminary candidate list announced.
• May 25: Deadline for withdrawal.
• May 27: Final candidate list published.

Journalist Elias Hossain has released an investigative video linking Sohel Taj to the Pilkhana massacre. Sohel Taj has denied the allegations, claiming that he was in London at the time.

In response, Elias Hossain stated, “Even if you departed from Dhaka, there is no record of your arrival in any foreign country. Show your passport stamps proving your arrival in London, and then we will accept that you were abroad during the incident.”

Reacting to this, Sohel Taj said, “I have already stated that I am willing to cooperate with the investigation commission. However, it is not appropriate to disclose such information publicly.” He further suggested that Elias might be misled by false information.

A case has been filed against over 100 Awami League and banned Chhatra League activists in Gopalganj for allegedly cutting down trees and blocking the Dhaka-Khulna Highway to obstruct traffic. The police have named 50 individuals in the case, while 55 others remain unidentified. The accused include Lebu Molya, President of Dhaka Metropolitan (North) Muktijoddha Projonmo League; Azad Hossain Mridha, President of the local Chhatra League; General Secretary Masum Sheikh; Maheshpur UP Chairman Lutfar Rahman Luthu; and former Kashiani Sadar UP Chairman Md. Moshiur Rahman Khan.

BNP Vice Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu issued an apology via BNP’s media cell on Wednesday for his comment suggesting that people should perform Wudu before mentioning Tarique Rahman’s name. He admitted that the remark was made “unintentionally.” Previously, Bulu had criticized those questioning Tarique Rahman’s leadership, arguing that the son of former President Ziaur Rahman is a worthy leader. However, his ablution comment sparked backlash among BNP supporters, prompting his apology.