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The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expanded its highest policymaking body by inducting four senior leaders into the National Standing Committee, including acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed.
The other three new members are former minister Aman Ullah Aman, Dr Farhad Halim Donar and Mohammad Ismail Zabiullah, the party said in a press release on Saturday.
The move comes at a time of significant changes in the BNP’s top leadership following the nomination of Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the party’s candidate for president. Fakhrul resigned from the posts of BNP secretary general and member of the Standing Committee after being nominated for the presidency.
Rizvi was subsequently given responsibility as the BNP’s acting secretary general until the party’s next national council. He will also continue to serve as the party’s spokesperson.
The BNP said the four leaders had been included in the Standing Committee as part of efforts to strengthen the party’s organisational dynamism and ensure continuity in decision-making.
The National Standing Committee is the BNP’s highest policymaking forum after the party chairperson. Its members play a key role in determining the party’s political strategy, organisational priorities and responses to major national issues.
Rizvi takes a bigger role
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a lawyer and long-time BNP organiser, has been one of the party’s most visible political voices, particularly during its years in opposition. He has served as senior joint secretary general and spokesperson and has frequently represented the party at press briefings and public events.
He is also currently serving as an adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman with the rank of minister, according to publicly available information.
Rizvi’s elevation to the Standing Committee gives him a formal place in the party’s top decision-making body at a particularly important moment. His responsibilities have already increased following Fakhrul’s departure from the secretary general’s post.
Aman, Donar and Zabiullah
Aman Ullah Aman is a veteran BNP politician and former minister who has been involved in the party’s organisational and political activities for decades.
Dr Farhad Halim Donar and Mohammad Ismail Zabiullah have also held senior positions within the BNP. The party’s official website lists Aman Ullah Aman, Ismail Zabiullah and Farhad Halim Donar among members of the BNP chairman’s advisory council.
Their inclusion in the Standing Committee therefore brings three experienced figures from the party’s broader leadership structure into its core policymaking forum.
Changes at the top
The latest appointments are part of a broader reshaping of the BNP leadership following its return to government after the 2026 general election.
Tarique Rahman currently leads the party as its chairman and serves as prime minister. The BNP won a large parliamentary majority in the February 2026 election, giving the party a dominant position in parliament and government.
The party now faces the challenge of translating its electoral mandate into governance while also managing institutional reforms and maintaining organisational discipline.
The BNP’s expanded Standing Committee will therefore have an important role in coordinating political decisions at a time when the party is simultaneously managing government responsibilities and internal organisational changes.
The reshuffle also follows Fakhrul’s impending transition from party leadership to the presidency. Parliament is scheduled to vote in the presidential election on August 20, and Fakhrul is the BNP’s nominee.
With four new members now joining the Standing Committee, the party has strengthened its senior leadership at a crucial juncture in its political transition.
The move is also significant because it gives greater prominence to several leaders who have played longstanding roles in the BNP’s organisational and political activities, while providing the party with additional senior hands at the centre of its decision-making process.
The four new Standing Committee members are: Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Aman Ullah Aman, Dr Farhad Halim Donar and Mohammad Ismail Zabiullah
The BNP said the appointments were made in line with the party’s organisational decisions and to strengthen its policymaking and organisational capacity.
