Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Mirza Abbas on Friday said that the BNP was the worst victim of the January 11, 2007 events, rejecting claims that the party was attempting to provoke a repeat of the 1/11 political crisis.
鈥楽ome people are claiming that the BNP is trying to bring about a repeat of 1/11. I want to make it clear that no one has suffered the devastating consequences of the 1/11 events in 2007 more than the BNP,鈥� he said while addressing a prayer meeting organised on the occasion of the 10th death anniversary of Arafat Rahman Koko at the BNP central office at Naya Paltan in the capital Dhaka.
Arafat Rahman Koko, the youngest son of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, was died of a heart attack in Malaysia on January 24, 2015.
Information adviser Nahid Islam on Thursday in a Facebook post said that BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir鈥檚 statement regarding the need for a neutral government indicated that they wanted another 1/11 government.
Abbas warned that if the ongoing debates, conflicts and disagreements that began after August 5, 2024 continued, these could result in a situation where the country might never witness true democracy again.
鈥榁arious political parties and individuals are speaking such a manner that the BNP was an ally of the Awami League. There seems to be an effort to push the BNP into the Awami League camp,鈥� the BNP leader said.
鈥榃hat is the purpose? Do you want to label us as an ally of the Awami League and an agent of India? Never even think about it,鈥� Mirza Abbas said, questioning the motives behind such efforts.
Earlier in the morning, BNP leaders and activists, including the party鈥檚 senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, paid tribute by placing wreaths at Koko鈥檚 grave at the Banani graveyard in the capital.
In the afternoon, a prayer session was held at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 office at Gulshan in the city.
After placing wreaths at Koko鈥檚 grave, Rizvi criticised the calls for reforms before elections, saying that it mirrored Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 approach as she once said that 鈥榙evelopment first, democracy later鈥�.
He said that some advisers to the interim government might be trying to form a political party and such actions could undermine the government鈥檚 neutrality and lead people to believe that it was part of a master plan.
鈥榃hy is there so much hesitation and delay in holding elections that the people of this country have waited for, fought for, and even sacrificed their lives for over the past 16 years?鈥� Rizvi questioned.
