Former BNP lawmaker Maj (retd) Akhtaruzzaman, who was expelled from the party on five separate occasions, has joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
Jamaat said in a post from its verified Facebook page that Akhtaruzzaman met party Ameer Shafiqur Rahman at the party’s central office in Moghbazar on Saturday morning and formally enrolled by submitting a preliminary associate-member form. Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar and Assistant Secretary General Maulana Abdul Halim were present.
According to the party’s statement, Akhtaruzzaman expressed “deep confidence and satisfaction” in Jamaat’s principles and its stated stance on patriotism and national sovereignty, and pledged to abide by the party’s rules, discipline and ideals. The post added that the Ameer embraced the new entrant and wished him a long life.
A decorated freedom fighter from Katiadi in Kishoreganj, Akhtaruzzaman was elected to parliament from Kishoreganj-2 as a BNP candidate in 1991 and 1996, when the constituency covered only Katiadi upazila; it now also includes Pakundia. He later contested the 11th parliamentary election on the BNP’s ‘sheaf of paddy’ symbol but lost to Awami League candidate Nur Mohammad, a former inspector general of police.
The former district BNP president was most recently expelled from the BNP on February 20, 2022, for alleged breaches of party discipline. Despite repeated expulsions, he remained a frequent commentator on television talk shows and social media.
His move to Jamaat comes amid continuing reshuffles and realignments across Bangladesh’s opposition landscape.