Quader Feels The Absence Of Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been in jail for the past month and a half. In that time, Obaidul Quader - his counterpart in the ruling party - has started to feel his absence.

BNP leaders have blamed the government for the repeated turning down of Fakhrul's bail petitions, but Quader claims that the thing barring his freedom is 'the law' and nothing can be done about it.

At a press conference at the Awami League president's office in Dhanmondi on Wednesday (December 13), the ruling party's general secretary was asked by a journalist whether he 'missed' his BNP counterpart.

Quader responded that he did not 'miss' Fakhrul but felt his absence.

"It would be good if he was here," he said. "There is healthy competition in our exchanges. Democracy benefits."

"But, as the law stands, nothing can be done. Still, it would have been better if he was here."

The BNP stepped up its activity in the political field this year as the general election loomed, organising a series of regular political programmes. The ruling Awami League announced counter-programmes on the same day as the BNP's rallies, raising public concern.

At the time, Quader and Fakhrul would engage in sharp and heated exchanges. Serious accusations and fiery rhetoric were lobbed back and forth, laced with barbed jokes. It became a regular part of the routine for both leaders.

At the height of the BNP's activity, violent clashes broke out between its activists and police surrounding the party's rally in Dhaka on Oct 28. In response, Fakhrul called a hartal – a shutdown tactic that political parties have shied away from in recent years due to its violent connotations.

The police arrested the BNP secretary general from his Gulshan home the following morning. He has been in jail since. Fakhrul's lawyers have failed to secure bail from the magistrate's court, the judge's court, and even the High Court.

The BNP has organised a series of blockades and hartals since then to oust the Awami League government, free its jailed activists and leaders, and cancel what it describes as a 'one-sided' election.

Since Fakhrul's arrest, the regular debate between the opposition leader and Quader has also been halted.

Quader is reluctant to say he 'misses' the back-and-forth, but his words are tinged with a hint of regret.

"He [Fakhrul] would respond to me, and I would respond to him. It was a kind of… a kind of interaction and exchange. It was a fine exchange," he said.

"I don't want to say I miss the regularity of it. I would instead say that we used to have a conversation every day where we countered each other. He would sharpen his attack while answering our questions, and it felt good to answer his objections. So, while I do not miss him, it would have been better if he was here.

"When he attacked, I had to give a proper response. That is missing now, but I would not say I miss him."