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Recalling former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia with deep respect, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the shadow of late leader Begum Khaleda Zia’s affection is the “biggest achievement” in his life.
“I feel her (Begum Khaleda Zia) every moment. I worked with Deshnetri for a long time in my life. She kept me safe for years under the shadow of her compassion and affection. This is the biggest achievement in my life,” he said in a recent interview with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) at Bangladesh Secretariat here.
Fakhrul, also minister for local government, rural development (LGRD) and cooperatives, said Begum Zia had picked up him from a very ordinary field worker and gave him important responsibilities of the party.
“While performing the party’s responsibilities with the leader, I felt she (Khaleda Zia) had blessing eyes for me. While walking the path with her blessings and trust, I saw that she had always shown me the right path so that I do not go off the rails. Even if I made a mistake beyond my knowledge, the leader would have forgiven me and corrected me,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul, a trusted colleague of Begum Khaleda Zia in her political life, said he had tried to implement Begum Khaleda Zia’s thoughts and tried to work in the way she wanted to take the BNP forward.
In an emotional voice, he noted that he was with Begum Zia in the hospital almost every day during the last moments of her life and he was lucky to be in touch with such a great leader during the last moments of her life.
“However, the time when she was in the hospital before her death was very painful for me. My heart would sometimes clench with pain. Still, I waited day after day with a certain amount of faith in my heart, thinking that the Deshnetri would recover and return to us,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul said, “None can be compared to Begum Zia. Her comparison is not possible too.”
Highlighting her popularity, he said millions of people joined her namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayers) and it felt as if the earth had opened up and everyone had gathered in one place with a great pull and it was completely deserted and silent.
“When the janaza was being held, doa was being offered for her, there was 'pin-drop silence'. It was unbelievable…a strange silence. I feel like it was a God-given thing. It was undoubtedly a divine thing,” he said.
