Khaleda cuts 'birthday' cake today (15 Aug )
Dhaka, Aug 15 (bdnews24.com)—Opposition leader Khaleda Zia celebrated her ’66th birthday’ in the early hours of Sunday despite calls from the ruling party and its associated organisations not to observe the day on Aug 15, the National Mourning Day.
The BNP chairperson cut cakes at her political office in Gulshan at around 12:30am in presence of the party’s senior leaders including secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain, vice-president Abdullah Al Noman and Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Khaleda cut four cakes, each weighing 66 pounds, presented by the BNP’s Dhaka city unit, student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, women’s front Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal and volunteer wing Jatiyatabadi Swecchasebok Dal.
Earlier at 12:01am, Delwar, on behalf of the party chief, cut a cake at the party’s Naya Paltan office.
Khaleda has been observing the day since 1991, when she became prime minister for the first time.
According to her marriage certificate, her birthday is Sept 5, 1945 and in her first passport it is Aug 19, 1946. She put the date as Aug 9, 1944 for registration of the matriculation exams.
There is an ongoing case pending with the High Court challenging the celebration. A lawyer ‘Suhrawardy’ filed the case on Aug 20, 1997. Khaleda in 1999 filed a civil revision case seeking cancellation of the case.
Ruling Awami League joint secretary Mahbub-Ul-Huq Hanif, AL women MPs, Bangladesh Chhatra League and also former BNP MP Akhteruzzaman asked Khaleda not to celebrate her birthday on Aug 15.
Akhter, a former army officer, who was expelled several times from the party, warned his former chief that she would be held responsible for any unpleasant incident that may arise from the celebration. In a statement on Friday, he said such celebration is ‘discourteous and indecent’.
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