Will only India’s demands be met, but none of ours, Mirza Fakhrul asks

Mirza Fakhrul Islam AlamgirFile Photo

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that Bangladesh’s friendship with India is at an all-time high. That is reassuring. But, he asked, how will we prove our friendship with India? By meeting all of India’s demands, while none of ours will be met?

He was speaking at a press briefing held Monday afternoon at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan of the capital city.

The Bangladesh National Party leader Fakhrul said that Bangladeshis have been killed indiscriminately along the border with India by the Indian border security forces ever since independence of the country. From 1972 till date, 1,510 persons have been killed by BSF on the border. From 2008 till the present, 439 persons have been killed. He said this was a blatant violation of the UN human rights charter.

He said they were not speaking against the government or the people of that country. They were taking about the security of the people of this country.

Saying that he was apprehensive concerning the independence and sovereignty of the Bangladesh, the BNP secretary general went on to say that the government has failed to take effective measures to prevent the border killings.

He said that the government does nothing to resolve existing problems, India remains silent and China vetoes any action. Yet it is claimed that we have an excellent foreign policy. He said that the government had adopted a subservient foreign policy just to remain in power at the cost of national interests.

Mirza Fakhrul went on to say that the entire nation now wanted the removal of the election commission because of its incompetence, failure and corruption. This was proven by the letter submitted by 42 eminent citizens to the president

On 30 December the government will complete two years in power. Mirza Fakhrul declared that on that day at 11:00am, there will be protest rallies all over the country at a district and city level, demanding the 2018 election be cancelled and a re-election be held. He said that Dhaka city north and south would jointly hold a demonstration at 11:00am on that day in from of Jatiya Press Club.

Mirza Fakhrul went on to say that the entire nation now wanted the removal of the election commission because of its incompetence, failure and corruption. This was proven by the letter submitted by 42 eminent citizens to the president. He said, 30 December marks two years of that shameful day.

Referring to a recent show cause notice issued to BNP vice chairmen Hafiz Uddin Khan and Shawkat Mahmud and their response, Mirza Fakhrul said BNP remains united. Such occasional incidents are inevitable in a big party. This was nothing to be magnified. He said that the matter hadn’t been discussed as yet.