Bangladesh Nationalist Party chair Begum Khaleda Zia on Thursday hoped that democracy would soon be restored in Bangladesh, describing the goal as the party鈥檚 pledge on the occasion of Ziaur Rahman鈥檚 martyrdom anniversary.
Joining a discussion virtually at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital, to mark the 44th martyrdom anniversary of former president Ziaur Rahman, she urged the BNP leaders and activists of all tiers and the citizens of the country to move forward in a disciplined manner to help achieve the goal of restoring democracy.
Former prime minister聽 Khaleda Zia said that Ziaur Rahman had embraced martyrdom in a struggle to establish democracy and safeguard the country鈥檚 sovereignty, adding that an uninterrupted progress of democracy still faced challenges at every step.
Presided over by BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the meeting was addressed, among聽 others, by the party鈥檚 acting chair Tarique Rahman, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.
Tarique Rahman, in his address, urged the interim government to honour the people鈥檚 aspirations, adding that it should immediately announce a specific date for the national election by December.
He also said that it would be possible to hold the election even before December -- considering various factors and the broad consensus among most political parties on key issues.
In her address, Khaleda Zia said that Ziaur Rahman was the unparalleled architect of democracy, freedom, independence of the press and the judiciary, self-reliance, development, and a distinct nationalism in the country.
鈥楤y proclaiming the country鈥檚 independence in Chattogram in 1971, Ziaur Rahman has forever etched his name in the mind of the nation. It was in that same Chattogram that he sacrificed his life as a successful, honest, visionary, and true patriot president,鈥� she observed.
Ziaur Rahman served Bangladesh as its seventh president from 1977 till 1981. He was assassinated by a group of army officers at the Chittagong circuit house on May 30, 1981.
Khaleda Zia said that the name of Ziaur Rahman was inseparably linked to the birth of Bangladesh.
Citing the importance of an elected government, Tarique said that even 10 months after in power the interim government had failed to announce a clear date for the national election, creating uncertainties in both the state and the political sphere of the country.
As a result, he said, economic activities in the country have almost come to a standstill while a desired level of investment is not taking place in the absence of a stable, elected government.
Tarique said that the interim government, though formed following a mass uprising and possibly considered legitimate, lacked accountability and had no mechanism to answer to the people.
He urged the interim administration to announce an election date by December, saying that ensuring a fair vote would honour the people鈥檚 will and make democracy the real winner, which would neither reflect victory nor defeat for the interim government.
