State must ensure compensations, allowance to martyrs’ families: Fakhrul
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today urged the interim government to ensure compensation and allowances from the state to all the families of martyrs and others who fall prey to enforced disappeared, paralyzed and crippled during the anti-autocratic movement.
“I am requesting the interim government to ensure compensation and allowances from the state to the families of martyrs and enforced disappeared people as well as those who were left paralyzed and crippled in the anti-autocratic movement during the last 16 years,” said Mirza Fakhrul.
BNP secretary general was addressing a memorial rally organised in memory of the martyrs who were killed in the last 16 years during their fight against the fascism at the Central Shaheed Minar this afternoon.
Fakhrul also urged the government to withdraw all the false and fabricated cases filed against BNP-leaders and activists in the last 16 years, mentioning that 145,000 cases were filed against six million BNP leaders and activists during the Awami League regime.
“Those of us who were fighting against fascism in the last 16 years were tortured and suppressed. Around seven hundred of our brothers and sisters became the victims of enforced disappearance,” he added.
Fakhrul said, “After coming to power in 2008, Awami League destroyed the country's democracy in a planned way, making all the democratic institutions dysfunctional. Now people think that they get back their freedom but the actual scenario is different because conspiracy is still going on.”
Urging everyone to protect the national unity, Fakhrul said, “Conspirators are everywhere. They are hatching conspiracies in different ways and trying to divide us. What we need most right now is to protect the national unity as we maintained in the last 16 years.”
Fakhrul said, “We got an interim government through a mass uprising and sacrifices. People’s expectations to the interim government are sky-high.”
People expect that the government would ensure a level-playing field in country’s democratic arena and make democratic institutions functional through reforms so that the countrymen can establish a democratic government through a free, fair and participatory election, he added
The BNP secretary general thanked the BNP-leaders and activists and other political parties for fighting unitedly against the fascism thwarting the conspiracies hatched by the fascist Awami League.
Addressing the rally, family members of martyrs and enforced disappeared people demanded ensuring justice for to all the killings and disappearances that took place in the last 16 years.
12-party alliance coordinator Syed Ehsanul Huda, the Daily Inqilab editor AMM Bahauddin, coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolan Zonayed Saki, former DUCSU vice-president Nurul Haque Nur, Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM) chairman Bobby Hajjaj and martyrs family members, among others, also spoke at the rally.
BNP publicity secretary Sahauddin Tuku and Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal general secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir conducted the rally.