BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that the government has started arresting BNP leaders and activists and filing cases against them by creating different issues ahead of the next national election.
“As another national election looms, they (govt) have started filing cases against BNP leaders and activists, arresting them and extremely harassing them by creating different issues,” he said.
Fakhrul made the remarks at an emergency press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
He claimed that police arrested their party’s around 20 leaders and activists from the house of a victim of enforced disappearance in the city’s Tejgaon area as part of the government’s plan to eliminate its opponents.
Fakhrul said a milad mahfil was arranged in the city’s Tejgaon area in the afternoon seeking ailing BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s speedy recovery where Dhaka north city unit BNP leaders and the family members of some victims of enforced disappearance were present.
After the programme, he said Dhaka north city unit BNP leaders, including its convenor Amanullah Aman and member secretary Aminul Haque, went to the house of enforced disappearance victim Sajedul Islam Sumon to see his ailing mother in Shaheenbagh area.
”But police suddenly encircled the house and swopped on BNP leaders and activists. They arrested around our 20 leaders and activists,” Fakhrul said.
He said the government has been repeatedly filing cases against opposition leaders and activists, arresting and killing them. “It can never be called a democratic system. It’s a terrible fascist system.”
“The same incidents are reported from across the country and BNP leaders and activists are being barred from holding political programmes in the name of permission,” the BNP leader said.
He said the government wants to create a situation where no opponent will remain during the next national election. “They’re also doing it to resist those who’re doing politics actively and capable of running the election or joining the movement for the restoration of the caretaker government.”
Fakhrul said the government is not willing to allow BNP to join the national election under any circumstance. “We’ve already said we won’t go to the election if the current political situation continues. BNP won’t join the polls without a polls-time caretaker or neutral government.”
The BNP leader said Awami League has squeezed democratic space since it revoked the caretaker government system in 2012 and initiated a process of depoliticisation in a planned way. “Especially they’re moving ahead with a blueprint to eliminate BNP.”
He said police attacked BNP leaders and activists on September 1 near their party founder Ziaur Raman’s grave without any provocation and filed cases against many leaders and activists of their party.
Fakhrul said the government also filed cases against around 10,000 people over the recent ‘planned’ communal violence. “They’re inciting violence, but filing cases against BNP leaders and activists.”
He demanded the government release the arrested BNP leaders and activists and withdraw the ‘false’ cases filed against them.
