Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said that the future of Bangladesh’s economy and politics depends on the upcoming national election.
He made the remark while addressing an extended meeting of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila and Ruhia Thana units of BNP as the chief guest at the Thakurgaon District Shilpakala Academy auditorium.
Mirza Fakhrul accused the ruling Awami League of subjecting BNP leaders and activists to unprecedented political persecution during its tenure.
“Under the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina over the past 16 years, BNP has faced the worst repression,” he said. “Around 60 lakh BNP leaders and activists have been implicated in false cases, 20,000 have been killed, and 1,700 — including three members of parliament — have been subjected to enforced disappearance.”
The BNP secretary general added that despite years of suppression, the party’s leaders and supporters in Thakurgaon remain steadfast. “Our political activists can at least sleep peacefully at night now. Many of our leaders and activists here have spent as long as 15 years in prison and have been convicted in fabricated cases,” he said, expressing gratitude to the lawyers who had extended legal support to BNP members.
Speaking about electoral reforms, Mirza Fakhrul reiterated BNP’s endorsement of the National Consensus Commission’s proposal to hold the referendum and national election on the same day, noting that such a move could help restore public trust in the political process.
The meeting was chaired by Thakurgaon District BNP President Mirza Faisal Amin, while District BNP General Secretary Paigam Ali, Municipal BNP President Shariful Islam Sharif, Sadar BNP President Abdul Hamid, and Ruhia Thana BNP President Abdul Jabbar were also present, among others.