I quit

BNP vice-chairman and former diplomat Shamsher M Chowdhury has resigned from the party citing health reasons.

But party sources said he was "disappointed and upset" with the party high-ups, particularly with Tarique Rahman for his "undue" interference in party decisions in recent months.

In his letter to party chief Khaleda Zia, now in London, Shamsher said, "As you are aware I was seriously wounded in the Bangladesh War of Liberation. For that I had to undergo major medical treatment both at home and abroad over the years. At present my health condition has further deteriorated.

"In view of my prevailing health condition I have decided to retire from politics with immediate effect. In light of my decision to retire, I hereby also resign from all posts in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party -- BNP."

He handed over the resignation letter on Wednesday to acting secretary general of the party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who accepted the letter.

One leader who was present at the time said Fakhrul requested Shamsher not to quit and asked him to talk over his grievances with Khaleda on her return, but Shamsher was firm on his decision. 

The former foreign secretary had been looking after BNP's foreign affairs and was known to be in good terms with party top brass.

Though the decision came suddenly, he had been frustrated for quite some time with the way Tarique, BNP senior vice-chairman and also elder son of Khaleda, had been imposing decisions on senior leaders, especially during their anti-government movement, party sources said.

Asked if this was the case, Shamsher told this correspondent, "Not at all."

The resignation comes at a time when the BNP is passing one of its worst ever times since its formation in 1978.

Shamsher was foreign secretary from 2001 to 2005 when the BNP was in power. He served as the Bangladesh ambassador to the US from 2006 to 2007. He joined the BNP in 2008 and was made BNP chief's foreign affairs adviser. He was made a vice-chairman in the party's 2009 council.

Awami League Joint Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif hailed his decision to leave BNP, saying all conscious people who upheld the spirit of the Liberation War should do so.

The BNP did not formally make any comment as to whether Shamsher's resignation will come as a setback for the party.

Contacted, party spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon said there was nothing to say when a person quit over health reasons. "We will miss a party man like Shamsher who played a vital role for the party."     

Shamsher got released on bail on May 22 after remaining in jail for four and a half months in several cases filed over violence during the BNP-led opposition's nonstop blockade and frequent hartals spread over three months since early January. The violence claimed over 100 lives across the country.

"People want to see fair politics. They don't want politics of violence, politics of oppression," he told reporters at his residence in the city yesterday.

"I am in doubt like many others as to how the present BNP can hold the ideals and the thoughts of constructive politics with which its founder late president Ziaur Rahman founded the party," he added.

"There is a serious degradation in politics now which is totally unexpected for all … Politicians are making many mistakes that people don't expect. People want healthy politics; they surely don't want the politics of violence and repression."

His relations with Khaleda and Tarique started to suffer a strain after his release from jail, sources said.

Since then, Shamsher, who is considered a key party leader to maintain ties with the international communities, remained almost inactive.

While he had a difference of opinion about the party programmes, Shamsher also had grievances about the way the party high-ups, Tarique in particular, behaved with him on several occasions during the anti-government programmes, according to the sources.

One BNP leader said a telephone conversation between Shamsher and Tarique on the opposition's movement in December last year also indicated Tarique's "authoritarian attitude" towards the freedom fighter, who was awarded the gallantry award Bir Bikram for his bravery.

In the conversation, Tarique was heard trying to convince Shamsher not to give any break in the opposition's movement no matter who visited Bangladesh at the time.

At one stage of the conversation, Tarique expressed doubt that Shamsher, among others, was in favour of slowing down the movement.

Sources said Shamsher was not invited to the Iftar party the BNP hosted for the diplomats on June 24.

He kept mum when this correspondent asked him why he was not invited.