Bangladeshi Political Tensions Spill Abroad as NCP Leader Targeted at JFK Airport

 

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his delegation arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday at 3:00 p.m. local time to attend the United Nations General Assembly. The delegation departed Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday at 1:40 a.m. aboard an Emirates flight bound for the United States.

 

Dr. Yunus was accompanied by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Naib-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, National Citizens’ Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, NCP Joint Convener Dr. Tasnim Jara, and Humayun Kabir, foreign affairs adviser to BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Jamaat leader Dr. Nakibur Rahman Tarek was also expected to join the delegation.

 

Shortly after their arrival, an unexpected incident unfolded. Eyewitnesses reported that a group identified as supporters of the Awami League threw eggs at NCP leader Akhtar Hossain. At least two eggs were hurled, one striking him on the back. During the attack, chants of “Joy Bangla” were heard, along with derogatory remarks. Although NCP leader Dr. Tasnim Jara, who was walking alongside Hossain, was not directly targeted, she appeared visibly shaken by the confrontation.

 

Video footage from the scene showed Hossain’s jacket stained with broken eggs before he was quickly escorted away. Leaders from the BNP and NCP condemned the incident, describing it as a premeditated attack. They alleged that certain pro-Awami League expatriates were deliberately provoking such confrontations, damaging Bangladesh’s image abroad.

 

Observers noted with surprise that while Jamaat-e-Islami leader Dr. Taher was safely escorted from the airport by his associates, BNP and NCP leaders appeared vulnerable in the face of the hostile crowd. Criticism was also directed at Dr. Yunus, who left the airport under official protocol without addressing the security of his companions.

 

Akhtar Hossain and Dr. Tasnim Jara endured the brunt of the egg pelting and verbal abuse, with no visible protection from U.S. BNP members. Analysts noted that the NCP, being a relatively small political party, lacks strong support among the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United States. However, some argued that the BNP, as a larger party, could have stepped in to shield its allies. Photographs from the scene also showed several Awami League supporters in close proximity to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

 

Members of the Bangladeshi expatriate community reacted strongly to the incident, expressing deep concern. They said that while political differences are natural, physical or verbal attacks on foreign soil are unacceptable. Many lamented that domestic political rivalries are now spilling into diaspora communities, tarnishing Bangladesh’s reputation internationally.

 

Dr. Yunus is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 26, where he will speak on the Sustainable Development Goals, global peace, and human rights. The delegation is expected to return to Bangladesh on October 2.

 

This incident has sparked widespread debate among expatriates, highlighting how Bangladesh’s entrenched political divisions are no longer confined within its borders. For many, it underscored not only the erosion of political civility but also the damage inflicted on the dignity and global perception of the Bangladeshi community abroad.