UNB, Dhaka :Reiterating her call to the ruling party for engaging in talks with opposition parties without delay, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday said this regime will not be able to hang on to power for long depending on the power of “others” instead of people.”The current government has no mass base as people don’t support them. So they want to keep the country’s people subservient depending on the power of others,” the BNP chief said while addressing the national convention of Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (Jagpa), although she didn’t expand upon who the “others” might be.She further said, “I think the current autocratic regime won’t be able to cling to power this way. That’s why I want to tell them to count on the country’s people. Resolve the country’s internal crises through discussions. Time is running out fast. Don’t try to buy time further.”Jagpa, one of the components of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, arranged the programme at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh marking its 36th founding anniversary. The party was established on April 6, 1980.Khaleda said the country is passing through a grave crisis as she alleged there is no democracy, representative government or legitimate parliament. “There is no effective opposition in the so-called parliament while the election system has turned into a farce.”She alleged that there is no good governance, rule of law, and justice as all the country’s institutions have been destroyed. “The government can’t ensure anybody’s security. Despite that, it’s claiming the situation is normal and what are happening all these are separate incidents.”The BNP chief also alleged that law enforcers cannot perform their duties as they are being used to protect the ‘isolated regime’ from public wrath. Mentioning the absence of a normal and congenial atmosphere in the country, she said 14 people, including women and children, are getting killed everyday on average in the country. “According to newspaper reports around 1,500 people were killed over the last three months.”Khaleda voiced deep concern over what she called the alarming rise in the incidence of secret killings. “Bloggers, university teachers, writers, publishers, foreign nationals and embassy officials, and people of different religions are being subjected to secret attacks and killings. It’s a matter of deep concern that the responsibility for the killings are being taken in the name of different militant outfits.”She alleged that the government cannot stop the incidents of secret attack and killing. “Rather, they’re shifting the blame to the opposition which is affecting the investigation and hiding the real offenders.”Referring to a case in the US court over bribing an FBI agent to get information about the Prime Minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Khaleda alleged as per the document of the case, there was nearly Tk 2500 crore deposited in Joy’s account there.”What is the source of the money? The country’s people want to know what amount of money they have in this way. People think this is their money. Huge assets are being amassed through siphoning off money earned through plundering and corruption,” she alleged.The BNP chief said an investigation should be launched into the allegation and the money should be brought back to the country. “But the government is silent over the matter.”Khaleda also alleged that the government is repressing journalist Shafik Rehman taking him on remand only to “hush up” any information received from the FBI about the alleged Tk 2500 crore in Joy’s account.She called upon people to wage a united movement from their respective positions to restore peace, democracy, the rule of law, stop repression and harassment and ensure public security.
