BNP expels its vice chairman Shaukat Mahmood

The BNP has expelled its vice-president Shaukat Mahmood from the party for his involvement in anti-party activities.

Shaukat, also a senior journalist and former president of the Jatiya Press Club, has been ousted from all party posts, including primary membership, said a press release on Tuesday.

It said the action against Shaukat was taken as per a decision of the BNP National Standing Committee on the basis of specific allegations of indulging in activities that go against party discipline.

Shaukat, who was served with a show-cause notice in April last year on a similar charge, came to spotlight once again as he along with writer and poet Farhad Mazhar on Thursday hosted a dinner in honour of some citizens and some leaders of anti-government political parties at a city hotel under the banner of the National Committee for Civil Rights or Jatiya Insaf Kayem Committee.

Shaukat, the member secretary of the platform that was launched 10 years ago, presented its objectives and goals and advocated for the formation of an interim national government by ousting the current government through a mass uprising.

However, no BNP leaders were present at the meeting, and the party doubts an evil intention behind the sudden revival of such a platform.

BNP standing committee members at their virtual meeting on Monday elaborately discussed the issue and described the platform's activities as suspicious, party insiders said.

A BNP standing committee member, on condition of anonymity, said Shaukat and Mazhar came up with the move at a time when their party along with over 50 other ones are waging a simultaneous movement to realise their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.

"We think there's an ill motive behind the sudden revival of this dubious organisation," he said.

The BNP leader said they decided to expel Shaukat as he became the member secretary of such a suspicious organisation despite being a vice chairman of BNP.

He said the standing committee members expressed their strong resentment as Shaukat was involved in such a platform without party permission, though he was earlier warned.

The BNP policymaker said they will keep a sharp eye on the activities of the National Committee for Civil Rights so that they cannot mislead people.