BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country but the crisis is not over yet.
Stressing the need for holding an acceptable national election immediately, he said, “All units within the administration must be urgently reformed to prepare the country for a credible election, as the crisis is not over despite Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country.”
The BNP leader said these while speaking at a programme arranged on the occasion of the eighth death anniversary of late BNP standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah in Gazipur on Friday. Pointing finger at the incumbent administration, Mirza Fakhrul said that all false and politically motivated cases filed against BNP leaders and activists across the country must be withdrawn unconditionally to create a congenial atmosphere for the national election.
He demanded the withdrawal of all cases against the party’s acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman to make way for his return to the country from London. “All cases against Tarique Rahman must be withdrawn so that he can return to the country. If the cases filed against BNP activists are not withdrawn, there will never be a neutral situation,” he said.
Tarique Rahman went into self-imposed exile in London soon after the BNP lost the 2008 national elections. He has been convicted in multiple cases during the Awami League regime. Last year, he was sentenced to nine years in a case filed over accumulating illegal wealth. In 2016, Tarique was handed down a seven-year jail term in a money-laundering case. He was also sentenced to prison for life in 2018 over a plot to assassinate Hasina in 2004 when she was in the opposition.
The BNP leader warned the interim government not to take too much time to hold elections. “Reasonable time does not mean too much time. No dilly-dallying will be tolerated.The interim government must hand over power to the people through elections after reforms. If necessary, we will protest on the streets again to establish democracy,” he said.
Alleging that the Awami League is still trying to hatch conspiracies, Mirza Fakhrul said, “They are trying to destabilise the country.”
He also alleged that Awami League might try to create various unstable situations centring the upcoming Durga Puja. Everyone should be alert. Hindu brothers are citizens of this country. I assure you, any incident will be dealt with unitedly, he added.
