Khaleda returns [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Khaleda returns

Local November 22, 2015

Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party spontaneously arrived at the airport to receive party chairperson Khaleda Zia, defying the obstruction by law enforcers as she arrived in Dhaka from London on Saturday.
An Emirates Airlines flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 5:10pm.
As soon as Khaleda’s motorcade entered the main road, passing the entry point of airport premises at about 5:35pm, leaders and activists of BNP and its associate organisations poured into the street chanting slogans welcoming Khaleda on her return.
Tight security measures were taken at the entrance of the airport premises and surrounding areas.
Enthusiastic leaders and activists, particularly young activists, escorted Khaleda’s motorcade through the airport road with the procession, almost all the way to her Gulshan house.
They chanted various slogans welcoming Khaleda and protesting at the government.
Khaleda responded to the party faithful by waving her hand from her car as her motorcade moved slowly amid the procession of her party men.
Law enforcers were deployed at a number of points from airport to Gulshan for security reason and to avert any untoward situation, police sources said.
Street light on the airport road was switched off at some places when Khaleda’s motorcade passed through.
It took about two hours for Khaleda’s motorcade to reach her Gulshan residence as she reached home around 7:20 pm.
Leaders and activists mostly of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, student wing of BNP, riding about 100 motorbikes escorted the BNP chairperson up to her residence.
The party’s leaders and activists started to throng in front of the airport from around 3:00 pm.
Law enforcers including police, armed police battalion, airport armed police battalion and ansar were deployed at the entry point of the airport premises close to the main road to restrict people’s – except air passengers’ – movement towards Shahjalal Airport.
Law enforcers did not allow party leaders and activists to assemble at the entrance of the airport premises and repeatedly pushed them away to the other side.
Law enforcers did not even allow BNP leaders including Moudud Ahmed, Abdullah Al Noman, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Mohammad Shahjahan, Asaduzzaman Ripon, Golam Akbar Khondakar, and Fazlul Huq Milon to enter the airport premises.
Later they assembled at different places beside the main road.
Standing committee member Moudud Ahmed told reporters that law enforcers did not even allow the thousands of party leaders and activists to stand.
He said this proved there was no democracy in the country.
Echoing Moudud, BNP chairperson’s adviser Khandaker Mahbub Hossain said this is a sample of democracy under the rule of the incumbent.
Officer-in-charge of Airport police station, Kamal Hossain, said law enforcers have to take whatever steps necessary for the security of Shahjalal international airport as it is a key point installation.
In reply to a question, he said those who had got permission entered the airport.
Air passengers faced trouble amid the tight security at the entry point of airport premises as passengers had to show their passports to the members of the law enforcers before entering into the premises. Relatives and friends who accompanied the passengers to see them off were not allowed to go to the airport.
Traffic slowed down considerably on the airport road because of the motorcade.
Khaleda went to London on September 16 for her eye treatment and to meet her family members including eldest son Tarique Rahman, the party’s senior vice-chairman, and his wife and daughter.