I felt insulted: Hafiz

BNP Vice Chairman Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed yesterday said he felt insulted as the party's senior joint secretary general issued a show cause notice to him in an "attacking language" violating courtesy and protocol.

He claimed that the allegations mentioned in the notice were false.

Hafiz, a noted freedom fighter, told a press conference at his Banani residence that he became so aggrieved that he decided to quit the party, but refrained from doing so upon request from party leaders and activists.

Before the press conference, Hafiz submitted a five-page reply to the notice to BNP's Nayapaltan central office. He demanded that his reply be presented at the party standing committee meeting.

"As a war-wounded and gallantry award recipient freedom fighter, I am shocked and saddened to receive a show-cause notice with untrue allegations in a disrespectful language on Martyred Intellectuals Day in the month of victory," he said, adding, "If I am found guilty, I am ready to accept any punishment as I always respect the party leadership."

He said Rizvi presented some wrong information and spelt his name wrong in the notice. The BNP leader also questioned justification of such a notice to a party vice chairman, who has been holding the post for 22 years, from a senior joint secretary general.

On December 14, BNP sent the show cause notice, signed by Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, to Hafizuddin Ahmed for allegedly violating party discipline.

The same day, the party also served a show-cause letter on its vice chairman and journalist leader Shawkat Mahmud for violating party discipline by staging a sudden demonstration in Dhaka.

Hafiz said, "I want to see if my explanation is satisfactory to them [leaders], and then I will take the next decision." He said 11 allegations were brought against him and he defended each one.