13 July 2018, Fri, 10:49

BNP for attention of int’l community on rights violations in Bangladesh

BNP on Thursday presented statistics of gross violation of human rights in Bangladesh to the diplomats of different nations and urged them to take note of this issue in their effort to boost democratic practice in the country.

“According to our own estimate, over 500 opposition party men have gone missing while 10,000 people became victims of political killings during the Awami League-led government’s rule,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.

Fakhrul came up with the statistics while speaking at a seminar held at a hotel in Dhaka this evening.

Also, around 78,000 cases have been lodged implicating around 18 lakh BNP activists recently, he claimed.

“I would like to request the international community to take a note in this regard for the sake of smooth democratic practice in the country,” he said.

Claiming that BNP is a democratic political party, Fakhrul said, “We believe in democracy and at the same time we think the next general election will not be acceptable without BNP.”

The government is trying to take control on the electoral process by letting loose the members of different law enforcement agencies, he said citing several instance of irregularities that took place during the local body elections held recently.

Referring to the “repressive and unconstitutional acts against humanity” of the ruling Awami League, the BNP leader said no election can be held under the ruling party administration in a free, fair and credible manner.

The government has become desperate and it is now trying to hang on to power forever by violating human rights, rule of law and the country's constitution, he said.

About BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's release, Fakhrul said the government has sent the party chief to jail implicating her with false and motivated cases.

During the seminar, BNP projected a documentary over the country’s overall human rights situation from 2009 to 2018.

Representatives from USA, France, India, Canada, Sweden, Pakistan, Iran, European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN), and top leaders of BNP attended the programme.