The people of this country and the international forces want a pro-people government elected through a free, fair and participatory electoral system, said opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Friday.
“On this Victory Day, we are asking people to remain united for the release of our leader Begum Khaleda Zia and to implement the 10-point demands we have been waging movement for, so that the people can heave a sigh a relief,” said the BNP standing committee member.
He was talking to newspersons after placing wreaths at the National Mausoleum in Savar, on the outskirts of the capital city, Dhaka, in the morning.
Recalling the martyrs in the Liberation War, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said, “We have crossed 51 years of independence but the spirit of Liberation War, the dreams of the martyrs to establish democracy, social and economic equality, human dignity and rights and peace – all of these dreams are completely demolished today.”
“There is no democracy in the country. The economy of the country is about to collapse due to rampant looting, extortion and money laundering. People are at their wits end due to skyrocketing of prices of daily essentials and load shedding.
“The government has robbed votes at night using muscle power by creating trouble and chaos. It is torturing and oppressing the BNP leaders and activists across the country to hold a similar election once again,” he added.
Mentioning that people are aggrieved due to the arrest of top BNP leaders, the party’s standing committee leader said, “BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is a freedom fighter. Even he has been locked up in a jail. Hundreds of BNP leaders and activists including standing committee member Mirza Abbas, freedom fighter Abdus Salam, and senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Khairul Kabir Khokon and Fazlul Haque Milon were arrested from 7 to 10 December over the party’s 10 December rally. This reveals the government’s policy of repression.”
Responding to a question on BNP’s 10-point demand, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said, “There is no demand of the release of war criminals in our 10-point demand. The people also do not want this. We just have transformed the people’s demand into 10 points and put it forth.”
He further said, “We have announced a simultaneous movement. We cannot say anything about who will join our simultaneous movement and who would leave it. If those who seek removal of this government and establish democracy in the country join the movement, we cannot have anything to say.”
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam, Abdul Moyeen Khan Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dhaka city north unit convener Amanullah Aman and other leaders and activists were present while the wreaths were placed on the mausoleum.