Those who seek to exploit crisis are enemies of the country: Mirza Fakhrul

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has condemned the attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, describing those who exploit the country’s crisis situation to carry out such acts, as enemies of the nation.

Following the attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, Mirza Fakhrul posted a statement on his verified Facebook page today, Friday, where in addition to protesting he reminded the interim government of its responsibility to protect lives and property.

After Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a prominent face of the July uprising who had sustained bullet injury from gunshot by assailants, died Thursday while undergoing treatment in Singapore, a vested interest group allegedly used the killing as a pretext to carry out a planned attack on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.

In his Facebook post, Mirza Fakhrul said, “At a time when the nation is mourning the death of martyr Hadi and praying to the Almighty, despicable attacks were carried out on The Daily Star, Prothom Alo and other newspaper offices, as well as on eminent journalist Nurul Kabir among others.”

Condemning the violence, he added, “Those who wait for moments of national crisis to exploit them are enemies of this country. They lie in wait for chaos.”

Mentioning that the duty to protect the lives and property of every citizen is of the government’s, the BNP secretary general said, “The perpetrators behind Hadi’s murder must be brought to justice, and every act of mob violence must be prosecuted.”

Mirza Fakhrul further remarked that ongoing incidents of mob violence over the past year have deeply divided the nation, adding, “Following the fall of the authoritarian Awami League government, the government’s foremost responsibility is to unite the nation and build a democratic, stable and inclusive society.”

The BNP secretary general called on all sides to act responsibly and work together in unity.