Surge in Departures from VIP Lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport
Dhaka, Bangladesh – Amidst the ongoing crisis, a wave of high-profile departures has swept through the country as ministers, MPs, officials, and notable businessmen hastily exit the nation. These exits come in stark contrast to their previous assurances of support to the Prime Minister. On Saturday, 17 individuals utilized the VIP lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to leave the country, confirmed by airport sources. This group includes several ministers, MPs, and senior officials.
Notably, Nazrul Islam Mazumder, chairman of the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) and a prominent businessman, recently pledged unwavering support to the Prime Minister at a public event. “I will stand by the Prime Minister in any situation. Businessmen are ready to do everything to keep the Prime Minister in power,” he stated. However, in a surprising turn of events, Mazumder was among the first to leave the country today on flight BS 217 through the VIP lounge.
Eyewitnesses reported that Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh entered the VIP lounge around 6:30 AM. At 8:30 AM, he departed for Singapore on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG 584. Concurrently, his family reportedly traveled to London on a separate flight. This pattern of departure was not isolated, with a total of 17 VIPs and CIPs leaving the country throughout the day.
Prominent figures flying out today from VIP Lounge-1 Rajanigandha included:
- Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali
- Former Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi MP
- Local Government Minister Tajul Islam
- Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury
- Agriculture Minister Md. Abdus Shahid
- Former Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury MP
- Justice Mahmudul Haque
Each of these individuals was accompanied by a passenger, presumably their spouses.
Additionally, those departing from VIP Lounge Dolonchapa included:
- Former MP Noor-e-Hasna Lily Chowdhury
- Former Minister Anwar Hossain Manju
- Former MP Md. Habib Hasan
Businessmen with CIP status among the departing were:
- MBM Managing Director Wasim Rahman
- Laila Styles Managing Director Imranur Rahman
- Nazrul Islam Mazumder
- SEB Chairman ASM Mohiuddin Monem
- SAARC CCI President Md. Jasim Uddin
- DBL Chairman Abdur Wahab
Previously, numerous VIPs and CIPs had already left the country, and the list of those preparing to leave in the coming days is reportedly extensive.
A photograph of Mayor Taposh standing inside the plane has circulated on Facebook, depicting him slightly tilted in the aisle with two airline staff standing behind him. An anonymous official from Biman Bangladesh Airlines confirmed that Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh traveled to Singapore alone, with no family members seen accompanying him on the flight.
This mass exodus raises significant concerns about the stability and confidence within the country’s leadership during this critical period.
