BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia said on Sunday that the country has become a ‘death pit’. Referring to the recent abductions and killings of seven people in Narayanganj, she said that there is wailing across the country.
There is no rule of law and security of people, she said adding abductions, enforced disappearance and extra-judicial killings are being carried out with state patronage. “The ruling party is responsible for these.”
Terming the government as illegal, Begum Zia said that the people are witnessing what the government is doing after coming to power illegally. “The hands of the illegal government are blood stained. It is responsible for abduction, killing and other repressive acts,” she alleged. She called upon all to wage a strong resistance against the repression of the government instead of wailing.
Begum Zia said these at a mass hunger strike programme in the city. As part of the countrywide programme, Dhaka city unit of the BNP arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club premises with city unit convener Sadek Hossain Khoka in the chair. The programme began around 9:15 am which ended at around 5 PM.
BNP observed the mass hunger strike programme across the country on Sunday protesting increasing incidents of abduction, extra-judicial killing and the government’s repression against the party leaders and workers.
Like the Dhaka city, the programme was also held in all divisional cities, district towns and upazila headquarters simultaneously. The programme was also observed for withdrawal of false cases filed against the party chief Begum Khaleda and her elder son Tarique Rahman.
Khaleda Zia said that the law enforcing agencies, including RAB, are being made to play a partisan role. These agencies would be held accountable for the abductions and murders after the Awami League government is ousted, she added. A ‘special force’ was formed during the government to kill listed people of the opposition parties, she said.
Alongside with the government, Khaleda Zia also came down heavily on Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad for his, what she said, ‘betrayal’. She held Ershad responsible for his involvement in the murders of her husband and former President Ziaur Rahman and Sector Commander Maj Gen Monjur. One day the trial of the killer (Ershad) will be held in the soil of the country, she said.
Leaders and workers of the BNP and its front bodies joined the programme. Khaleda Zia joined the programme at 4:20pm. Senior leaders of the party and top leaders of 19-party alliance also addressed the programme. BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, MK Anwar and Let Gen Mahbubur Rahman, Kazi Zafar Ahmed of Jatiya Party (Zafar), Dr Ridwan Ullah Shahedi of Jamaat-e-Islami, Mualana Abdul Latif Nejami of Islami Oikya Jote, Golam Mustafa Bhuiyan of Bangladesh NAP, Shafiul Alam Prodhan of Jagpa and Maj Gen (retd) Ibrahim Birpratik of Kalyan Party are among others, who spoke on the occasion. Bikalpa Dhara chief Prof Dr AQM Badrudduza Chowdhury also addressed the programme.
Mirza Fakhrul termed the police raid at the house of councilor Noor Hossain, the prime accused in the Narayanganj seven murder case, as ‘nothing but an eyewash’. Law enforcers raided the house so many days after the abduction and killing when people burst into protests, he said.
In Gazipur, although the programme was scheduled to begin at 8:00 am, the programme started at about 10:30am in front of the party’s district unit office with the district unit president Fazlul Haque Milon in the chair.
In Sylhet, leaders and workers of the BNP gathered in Court Point in the city to observe the programme. The city unit president MA Haque chaired the programme which began at about 10:00am.
In Khulna, the mass hunger strike programme was held with the party’s city unit president Nazrul Islam Monju in the chair. BNP standing committee member Tarikul Islam spoke at the programme.
Reports of holding the programme were also received from Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla, Kushtia, Barisal, Jessore, Bogra and Joypurhat.
