Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman has described the 1/11 caretaker government as a “maliciously motivated government”, alleging that it had sought to “crush everything and depoliticise the nation”.
He made the remark in response to a question during the second and final part of his interview with BBC Bangla, released on Tuesday.
When asked to reflect on the political significance of the 1/11 army-backed caretaker government, Tarique Rahman replied, “In a word, or briefly, the 1/11 government was a purpose-driven one — maliciously motivated.”
Expanding on his assessment, Tarique Rahman said that despite its flaws and setbacks, Bangladesh’s political landscape was gradually building a democratic foundation until that government intervened.
“We saw how they (the 1/11 government) wanted to smash everything, to depoliticise the country, to push it into darkness. Later, perhaps we saw another form of the same thing, in a slightly different form, ‘in the name of democracy’,” he observed.
The BNP leader added that his party wished to move forward and take the country ahead, noting, “BNP wants to go forward, the nation must be taken ahead.”
Tarique Rahman has been living in exile in London, UK, since September 2008. His latest interview marks his first appearance in any media outlet in 17 years.
In the final segment of the interview published today, he discussed a range of issues including political reform, relations with India, the 1/11 government, and the future of Bangladesh’s democracy. The first part of the interview was published by BBC Bangla on Monday.