‘Why oppose then what you are doing now?’ Tajnuva Jabeen questions BNP over NCT deal

Alternatives co-founder Tajnuva Jabeen has questioned the BNP government over its decision to move ahead with handing operation of Chattogram Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal to a foreign operator.

She pointed out to the party’s opposition to the same initiative under the interim government.

“Why did you oppose then what you are doing yourselves now?” Tajnuva wrote in a Facebook post, accusing the party of adopting contradictory positions within months.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday approved a draft 15-year concession agreement for an international operator to run and maintain the NCT and its Overflow Container Yard. The official approval did not name the operator. 

Dubai-based DP World, however, has been negotiating for the terminal. The government’s PPP framework earlier identified DP World, nominated by the Dubai government, for the project. 

Tajnuva said the BNP had opposed the interim government’s attempt to bring in a foreign operator, arguing at the time that an unelected administration should not make such a decision.

She also recalled arguments raised during the earlier controversy that foreign operation of the terminal could pose security and sovereignty concerns because sensitive installations were located nearby.

“Do those concerns no longer exist?” she asked.

Tajnuva said her point was not to defend the interim government but to question the political consistency surrounding the project.

The NCT plan triggered sustained opposition from sections of port workers and political groups under the previous government. Opposition has not disappeared: the Chattogram Port Protection Committee on Thursday criticised the latest approval and demanded disclosure of the draft agreement. 

Tajnuva argued that political agitation intended to put a transitional government under pressure ultimately imposed costs on the country.

She also questioned whether earlier opposition had been driven by a desire to claim political credit later.

“What did that achieve?” she wrote. “Instead, within a matter of months, the contradiction in your positions has become apparent and public trust has been damaged.”

Tajnuva is a former joint convener and founding member of the National Citizen Party. She resigned from the NCP in December 2025. 

She now helps lead Alternatives, a political platform launched after the July uprising that says it seeks to expand youth participation in politics, build new political leadership and revive what it describes as the unfulfilled aspirations of the uprising.

Former interim government adviser Mahfuj Alam and Tajnuva head its national organising committee. 

“In such a fragile period, responsible political conduct matters more than the pursuit of credit,” Tajnuva wrote. “That is what should be expected above all from any political party.”

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