Who created Aziz and Benazir, asks Mirza Fakhrul

Who created Gen. (retd) Aziz Ahmed, former chief of Bangladesh Army, and Benazir Ahmed, former chief of Bangladesh Police, asked Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Tuesday.

There is not just one or two incidents, look around and you will find nothing but their corruption, he said.

The secretary general of the key opposition was addressing a discussion organised marking the 43rd martyrdom of former President Ziaur Rahman, also founder of the BNP, at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity. Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal organised the discussion.

“Today some people are talking about former army chief Aziz. Who created Aziz? Where was Aziz? Who promoted him? Who created Benazir Ahmed? Reports of hundreds of his corrupt deeds are being published nowadays,” said the BNP secretary general.

Mirza Fakhrul further said not only in Dhaka, such rampant corruption is going on across the whole country. “The so-called MPs elected in so-called elections are drowning under money,” he alleged.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “These people are rotten and are been stinking. Whatever they say, they actually do not have any existence.”

“I say, you have roamed around a lot … Please make a decision after due thought so that people remember you and you get a decent burial,” he added.

The BNP secretary general also insisted on injecting new thoughts to save the country, its people in the context of emerging geopolitics.

Saying that the party’s ongoing movement would intensify, Mirza Fakhrul said, “It’s dangerous to speak here, move here and wage a movement here.”

He urged the party leaders and activists to face the situation with courage.

Speaking about the party leadership, Mirza Fakhrul said, “Our leader is the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who is leading us from abroad. We have moved ahead under his leadership.”

Lauding the party leaders and activists, the BNP secretary general said, “Look, could the torture, oppression and lawsuits budge any one of our leaders and activists? Could they force any of us to join their party? There could be one or two defectors, such people are there everywhere … but only one (Shahjahan Omar). There is no other. That means we don’t have anything to lose.”

Calling upon the youth to come forward, Mirza Fakhrul said, “We have grown old … can we hold guns now? Can we wage a fight on the streets? … we can’t. We need a young generation.”

Recalling his days during the liberation war in 1971, he said, “We were young at that time, there was no other thought except making the country independent. It is the only goal. We had become united irrespective of party and ideology and thoughts about the future.

“Such a time has arisen once again. We fought for independence then, the current fight is about protecting the country. We must engage in this fight. If we lose this fight, we would become traceless,” he added.

Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal senior vice president Nazrul Islam presided over the discussion that was moderated by the organisation’s general secretary Sadeq Ahmed Khan.