BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has started her journey towards Chittagong from Dhaka on way to Cox’s Bazar where she will distribute relief supplies among the displaced Rohingyas who crossed into Bangladesh to flee Myanmar’ persecution.
Accompanied by party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and vice chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Khaleda went out of her Gulshan-2 residence at 10:40am today.
Soon after she returned home from London, Khaleda took decision that she will visit and distribute relief to Rohingyas and that’s wahy she is going to Cox’s Bazar, Fakhrul told journalists in Gulshan in the morning.
Stating that the police chief has assured BNP of law enforcers’ support so that they can take part in the programme and return to Dhaka safely, Fakhrul sought all sorts of support from the administration.
Khaleda will stop in Feni and have lunch there. She will spend the night at Chittagong Circuit House.
She will start for Cox's Bazar tomorrow. After staying overnight at Cox's Bazar Circuit House, the BNP chief will visit four Rohingya refugee camps in Balukhali, Boalmari and Jamtali in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar on Monday, Rizvi added.
The former prime minister is likely to return to Dhaka on Tuesday, said the BNP leader.
Meanwhile, other BNP leaders and activists joined with Khaleda’s motorcade from Nayapaltan central office, our staff correspondent, also with the motorcade, reports.
Members of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and Swechchha Shebak Dal in vehicles are leading the motorcade as advance party.
Around one hundred vehicles including the vehicles of different media outlet took part in the journey.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, BNP standing committing member, will join the motorcade from Comilla, party sources said.
In Chittagong, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, another standing committing member, and Abdullah Al-Noman, party vice chairman, will greet Khaleda when she reaches the port city later in the day.
Thousands of party activists and supporters will assemble at different points on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to welcome Khaleda who will be travelling in a motorcade.
However, the party high-ups have asked the leaders and activists not to set up any arches on the highway or block the traffic.
On Wednesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had a meeting with the leaders of the party's district, front and associate bodies concerned at the party headquarters in Nayapaltan to make Khaleda's tour a success.
Khaleda last went to Cox's Bazar in November 2012 to visit Buddhist monasteries and houses which were damaged in communal attacks in Ramu upazila.
Source: The daily star