Discussions are going on across the city that Bogotá’s four star hotel Naz Garden is being sold. However, the owner of the hotel, former BNP leader Mohammad Shokrana, has claimed that the sale of Naz Garden is a rumor. He also claimed that various circles are trying to take advantage of him by spreading rumors.
Despite rumors that an industrial group called Akij Group would buy Naz Garden and build a medical college and hospital there, no one in charge of Akij Group has commented on the matter. The officials and employees of Naz Garden have also locked their mouths about this.
A visit to Naz Garden on Tuesday (February 1) revealed that the hotel’s activities were as normal as ever.
Talking to some officials working at Naz Garden, who did not want to be named, they said they had heard that it was being sold. However, the owner forbade them to talk about it.
After the BNP-Jamaat coalition government came to power in 2001, BNP leader Shokrana started construction of a four-star hotel Naz Garden on 14 acres of land on the advice of then BNP joint secretary general Tarique Rahman. In 2003, work began on converting the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogura into an international standard stadium. At that time there was no high quality residential hotel in Bogura except the tourist motel. Tareq Rahman suggested the construction of Naz Garden mainly to accommodate cricketers from home and abroad. The first four star hotel in Bogura, Naz Garden, started its journey in 2003 after completion of construction work. Until 2006, when international cricket matches were played at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium, the Naz Garden was in full swing. Over the next 10 years, various gatherings, seminars, and wedding ceremonies had been held in the Naz Garden. Five years ago, when the five-star hotel 'Mom Inn', another 8 km north of Bogura city, was opened, the business of Naz Garden began to decline. Where once more than 400 people were employed, now there are only a hundred. Even then, Mohammad Shokrana, the founder of Naz Garden, was trying to keep the hotel afloat.
While searching for the reason why Naz Garden is being sold, sources close to Shokrana said that he has suffered most economically by getting involved in BNP politics. Shokrana is one of the influential businessmen of Bogura. He joined the BNP in 1999. Since then he has been spending money behind the party.
He sought nomination from Bogura-1 (Sariakandi-Sonatala) constituency in the 2001 parliamentary elections. But the party did not nominate him. When the state of emergency was declared in the country in 2007, Shokrana was arrested and who had suffered. There were several cases in the name of Shokrana at that time. Shokrana was defeated as a BNP candidate in the 2008 parliamentary elections. He was defeated by a margin of 5,000 votes. Despite extensive preparations for the 2014 elections, he was not nominated by the party. From then on, Shokrana began to withdraw from politics. In 2019, the ACC issued a notice asking for an account of Shokrana's assets. During this time he applied for resignation from the BNP Central Committee and District Committee. The issue was widely discussed in Bogura at that time as Shokrana left the BNP for fear of the ACC.
The eldest son of Shokrana, a father of two sons and a daughter, lives permanently in Canada. Son-in-law retired army officer. The daughter-in-law lives in Mirpur, Dhaka. The younger son used to look after his father's business in Bogura. The younger son married the daughter of a government party MP in Dhaka. Now that boy also lives in Dhaka. It has long been rumored that Shokrana will leave politics and move to Canada with his wife to his eldest son.
Now that the news that the sale of Naz Garden is being discussed widely, many are saying that Shokrana wants to move to Canada by selling everything secretly as the ACC is searching for his assets apart from several political cases.
However, Shokrana referred to everything as a rumor and said that he will not sell any assets. He did not even bargain with anyone for the sale of Naz Garden. "A circle has been following me for a long time, they are profiting by spreading rumors of Naz Garden sale," he told Barta24.com.
He further said that if one searches the sub-registry office, one can find out whether Shokrana has entered into an agreement with someone to sell or sell any property.
A search of the Bogura Sadar Sub-Registry Office after his statement turned up no information that Naz Garden or Shokrana had sold any other immovable property.
Akij Group's Bogura regional office was contacted but said no one knew about it.