Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday accused the Awami League of eliminating its political opponents through enforced disappearances and political killings to establish a one-party rule.
‘It is Awami League’s old desire that they will be in power as long as Bangladesh exists. They’re indulging in enforced disappearances and political killings with the only goal of hanging onto power’, he said.
Speaking at a discussion, Fakhrul added that Awami League tried but failed to impose one-party rule in the name of BAKSAL in 1975.
‘They are now trying to establish the one-party rule in a different style – changing their strategy. They’re eliminating those who are creating obstacles to achieve this goal’, Fakhrul said.
BNP arranged the programme titled ‘Return All the Victims of Enforced Disappearance, including Ilias Ali’ at a city hotel marking the 10th year of the enforced disappearance of former BNP member of parliament Ilias Ali.
A video clip on the disappearance of over 600 BNP leaders and activists was presented at the beginning of the programme.
BNP’s then organising secretary M Ilias Ali along with his driver Ansar Ali went missing on the midnight of April 17, 2012 from the capital’s Banani area. Police later found Ilias’ car near his home in the city’s Mohakhali area. Since then, BNP has been blaming the security agencies for the mysterious disappearance, an allegation denied by the government.
Fakhrul also said that the people wanted to raise their voices for the restoration of their lost rights but couldn’t do that as the government had created a suffocating situation across the country.
‘We have to get out of this situation and we’re trying to do that. We’ll surely be able to wage a strong movement in the future with all our political parties to defeat the terrible regime and establish a truly representative government of the people’, he said.
The BNP secretary general called upon the opposition political parties to initiate a united movement for the protection of the independence and sovereignty of the nation along with restoration of democracy and ensuring the safe return of those who were subjected to enforced disappearances.
‘Let’s bring back a truly democratic environment where there will be accountability so that no mother will cry for her missing son and no child will look for his/her missing father’, he observed.
Fakhrul said that they did not know whether those who were made to disappear would return to their families or not.
‘We pray for their safe return. The families of those who were killed are facing serious sufferings’, Fakhrul added.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said that they attended the programme with a very heavy heart in memory of those who were made to disappear.
He added that they did not have any suitable language to console the family members of the disappeared people.
‘We become speechless seeing the tears of the family members of those who have gone missing. We must remove the fascist government with the united efforts of democratic and patriotic people, individuals and parties to get rid of such a situation in the country’, he said.
BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nagorik Oikkya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Gono Odhikar Parishad convenor Reza Kibria, educationist Mahbub Ullah and BNP human rights secretary Asaduzzaman Asad, among others, addressed the programme.
M Ilias Ali’s wife Tahsina Rushdir Luna and some other family members of the missing BNP leaders spoke at the programme narrating the ordeals they were going through since losing their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
They, however, said that they would wait for the return of their loved ones.
