Fakhrul returns from Singapore, complains of harassment at airport

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir returned home on Saturday from Singapore after receiving medical treatment there for over a week.

The BNP secretary general along with his wife Rahat Ara Begum landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines around 6:30pm.

Talking to reporters at the airport, he said that he had been harassed at the airport after arriving as an opposition party leader.

"Those of us who belong to the opposition parties have to face harassment at the immigration during both departure and arrival. It's now become part of our life. I had to face it despite going for treatment," he lamented.

As a journalist sought his comment about a false campaign against him regarding taking Tk50 lakh from the Prime Minister's relief fund for treatment, Fakhrul said he is unwilling to talk about such a dirty thing.

"The government has created such a society where there's nothing but foul play. It's a matter of sorrow that dirty things involving politicians like us who were involved in the Liberation War have been spread in the media and on social media. It's embarrassing for me to answer it," he observed.

On 24 August, the couple went to Singapore for a follow-up health checkup and treatment.

Fakhrul said he received treatment at the National University Hospital in Singapore for various health issues, including a blockage in the nerve in his neck.

His wife Rahat Ara Begum also received treatment at Raffles Hospital for some health complications.

After being released from jail in 2015, Fakhrul went to Singapore for treatment, where the issue in his internal carotid artery was detected. Since then, he has gone to Singapore every year for follow-up treatment.