Tarek Rahman, the member secretary of Am Janatar Dal, put an end to his hunger strike last night after receiving assurances from BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed. Tarek broke his fast at around 8:30 pm in front of the main gate of the Election Commission (EC) building in Dhaka, where he had been protesting since November 4. He was then taken to Gonoshasthaya Hospital by party activists for medical attention.
Present at the scene, Salahuddin informed Tarek that he should file the appeal the next day and that some offices would undergo reforms in the interim, prompting Tarek to cease his hunger strike. Arif Billah, the organizational secretary of Am Janatar Dal, mentioned to The Daily Star that Tarek had been on a hunger strike for 135 hours seeking registration for his party.
Yesterday around 1:45 pm, Tarek was found lying outside the EC building with medical equipment attached to him. His protest garnered both admiration and concern from onlookers. Displaying party documents, Tarek emphasized that Am Janatar Dal had met all registration requirements and vowed to continue his protest until registration was granted.
At around 2:00 pm the same day, Ishraq Hossain, a special assistant to the BNP chairperson’s Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee, visited Tarek to express solidarity. The EC had previously informed Am Janatar Dal, on November 5, that while the details of its central office were accurate, proof of active offices in two out of 22 districts and in 67 out of 100 upazilas was lacking. Furthermore, the party could not verify at least 200 voter members in the upazila offices as required.
When asked about the possibility of reconsidering the party’s registration, Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed stated to journalists that any decision regarding this matter was well-known and that individuals could appeal to the commission if they felt aggrieved. Akhtar reiterated that the rules must be adhered to, irrespective of the duration of Tarek’s hunger strike.