BNP team leaves on goodwill visit to China

The delegation will also include BNP's first Joint Secretary General Tareque Rahman.

Sources said the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC extended separate invitations to two BNP delegations, one led by Bhuiyan and the other by Tareque, with a view to strengthen ties between the two parties.

But since Tareque decided to be on the same delegation as Bhuiyan, only one delegation will be making the goodwill tour.

The other members of the delegation are BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council Member MM Rezaul Karim, State Minister for Agriculture Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, Deputy Minister for Land Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, BNP lawmakers Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu, Zahiruddin Swapan and Sarwar Jamal Nizam, BNP's Information and Research Secretary Mofiqul Hasan Tripty, Jatiyatabadi Sechchhashebak Dal President Rezvi Ahmed, Assistant Office Secretary of BNP Syed Emran Saleh Prince, JCD President Shahabuddin Ahmed Laltu, Bogra district BNP leader Atiqur Rahman, and two personal aides of Tareque Rahman -- Raqibul Islam Bakul and Sajjadur Rahman Knight.

Hawa Bhaban sources said most members of the delegation are close associates of Tareque Rahman and are also on good terms with Bhuiyan.

The selection has reportedly annoyed several senior leaders based in Hawa Bhaban who were left off the list. They contended that the delegation should have had more important and senior party leaders on it and that more than one people on the delegation are currently not in any position with the BNP, but were chosen only because of their close association with Tareque Rahman.

Party sources said despite CPC's repeated requests to expedite the tour programme, strong lobbying by ministers, lawmakers and party leaders to include them on the delegation and the SARS scare following outbreak of the epidemic in China delayed the selection process.

Details of the tour programme in China including names of Chinese leaders the delegation will call on during the visit has remained a closely guarded secret; even names of the delegates were not disclosed until last night.