4 Ex-AL Ministers Reunite at Wedding Ceremony in London

Four former ministers and state ministers of the Awami League were recently seen together for the first time since the fall of the AL government in August last year, attending a wedding ceremony in London.

The gathering took place at the InterContinental Hotel in London, where UK Awami League General Secretary Syed Sajidur Rahman Faruq celebrated a family marriage event.

Among the attendees were Awami League Joint General Secretary and former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, Presidium Member and ex-Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdur Rahman, Organising Secretary and former Shipping Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, and Sylhet District Awami League President and former State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury. Former Sylhet-3 lawmaker Habibur Rahman Habib was also present.

This marked the first time since the mass uprising of 5 August last year, which led to the removal of the AL government, that such a group of former high-ranking party leaders appeared at a single event.

Prior to this, Abdur Rahman and Shafiqur Rahman made a joint public appearance in London on 8 December during an event joined virtually by Sheikh Hasina. Khalid Mahmud was spotted at a UK Awami League programme on 2 February, and Hasan Mahmud participated in an Eid Jamaat in London on 30 March.

The attendance of these figures has stirred unease within the UK wing of the Awami League. A Jubo League leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticised the presence of the former ministers, saying it was “shameful” that they were attending social events abroad while grassroots activists and supporters at home continued to face difficult circumstances.