Instead of Awami League, an invisible power now runs country: Fakhrul

Instead of Awami League, an invisible power is now running the country, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

Mirza Fakhrul said the Awami League claims that they are running the county. “Are they really running the country? They don’t run the country. An invisible power is now running the country. At the directives of this invisible power, Awami League has taken away all the rights of the people of Bangladesh,” he said.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a rally at the BNP central office premises at Nayapaltan in the capital on Saturday afternoon.

Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal organised the rally demanding the release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Jubo Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, and other leaders and workers of the party and its affiliated organisations who are now in jail.

Alleging torture and repression on the party leaders and workers, the BNP Secretary General said, “The government has been using the judiciary as a weapon for inflicting torture and repression on opposition political activists in Bangladesh. This government has politicised the judiciary in such a manner that they have clinged to power through implicating the opposition activists in false cases. They have been using the courts as weapon of repression and torture. They want to cling to power in such a manner.”

Issuing a note of warning to the government, Mirza Fakhrul said it would not be possible to suppress the struggle for democracy and freedom by resorting to torture, repression, forced disappearance, murder and extrajudicial killing. “Neither Namrud, nor Pharao and Hitler could not sustain resorting to torture and repression. Even, Ayub Khan and Ershad regimes could not cling to power resorting to repression and torture.”

Presided over by Jubo Dal’s senior vice-president Mamun Hasan and moderated by general secretary Monaem Munna, the rally was also addressed by BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Gayeshawar Chandra Roy, vice-chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, BNP Chairperson’s adviser Abdus Salam, joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and publicity secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anny.