The Bangladesh Nationalist Party will observe the 81st birthday of its chairperson Khaleda Zia, also a former prime minister, tomorrow with milad mahfil (prayer sessions) at party offices and mosques across the country.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday announced the programme at a press conference at the party鈥檚 chairperson鈥檚 political office at Gulshan in the capital Dhaka.
He said that the prayer sessions would take place at BNP offices, including the party鈥檚 central office in the capital, and mosques across the country.
He said the religious congregations would pray for Khaleda鈥檚 swift recovery from illness, long life and good health, as well as for the salvation of the souls of those who were martyred in the country鈥檚 Liberation War in 1971 and in the democratic movements in 1990 and 2024.
Rizvi said that the occasion would be observed in a modest manner, with no cake-cutting or other celebratory activities.
During the press conference, he also accused a religion-based political party of conducting a smear campaign against the BNP to cover up its own misdeeds, alleging that the move was politically motivated before the national election expected to be held in February 2026.
Condemning the recent killings of two members of the Hindu community in Rangpur, Rizvi demanded that the perpetrators to be brought to justice, regardless of their influence or status.
鈥楾here is no security for ordinary people now; mob culture is rampant,鈥� he said, calling on the interim government to take action and ensure exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.
鈥楴o one has the right to take law in their hands,鈥� Rizvi said.
On the issue of proportional representation-based voting, Rizvi said that Bangladesh was not yet ready for such a system.
鈥榃e have not yet reached the level of developed nations, and PR elections are not sustainable in a poor economy,鈥� he said, adding that strengthening democratic practices should come first.
Rizvi said that he believed that those making such demand for PR-based polls now had no other purpose but to create unnecessary complications.听听
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Khaleda Zia
