Staff Correspondent

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that his party will go for a nationwide tougher movement after the celebration of Durga puja, the largest festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, slated for October 20-24.

The movement will be waged to ensure BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s unconditional release and restoration of the country’s destroyed democracy, Fakhrul said while addressing a rally staged in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka on Saturday.

“We believe in peace and communal harmony in the country. We don’t want to go for any movement during the Durga Puja celebration so that no evil force can create a chaotic situation at that time,” Fakhrul said.

Earlier, the BNP men held a token hunger strike there to press home their demand for Khaleda Zia’s advanced treatment abroad.  

UNB adds: Fakhrul trashed Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader’s remark that the government had reached an agreement 'behind the scenes' with foreign powers over the coming election and said nothing actually happened behind the scenes, and the 'democratic world' was sticking to their stance on -the resignation of the current regime' for a credible election.

“This is not an elected government. It can’t be called a government as it’s a ruler…they (govt) declared the largest political party BNP, which was in power thrice, as their enemy. It means they do not believe in democracy. If they believe in democracy, they can’t consider any political party an enemy,” the BNP leader said.

He said it has been proved again that the government does not believe in democracy and the rule of law as it arrested two Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders of Narsingdi in a commando style violating the law from a students’ convention at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh on Thursday.

"They’re now saying everything has been settled behind the scenes. Why do you say this again and again? The reason is that nothing actually happened. The entire democratic world is clearly asking them (govt) to step down and hold a free and fair election," Fakhrul said.

As part of its countrywide programme, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units arranged a three-hour token hunger strike in the city demanding Khaleda Zia's unconditional release from jail and her advanced treatment abroad.

Several thousand BNP leaders and activists holding banners, festoons and placards joined the programme that began around 11am.

Fakhrul said the release of the Khaleda and the restoration of democracy are now synonymous and inseparable. “So, we’re waging a movement for the release of our leader Begum Khaleda Zia alongside the agitation for the restoration of democracy. We must build an irresistible mass movement combining these two demands in the coming days.”

The BNP leader urged the party leaders and workers to take a strong vow to continue their agitation until the fall of the current fascist regime and the permanent release of Khaleda.

He said they did not take any programme during the Durga Puja as BNP believes in a completely peaceful secular system.

“We don't want them (govt) to take advantage of the movement to create any problem. Police already obstructed a peaceful protest march by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council in Cumilla yesterday (Friday) and the Awami League terrorists attacked and injured them,” the BNP leader said.

He warned party leaders and workers to remain alert so that the ruling party would not create any trouble during the Durga Puja.

“We have now only one goal…we have no other alternative to defeating this regime to save our country, the economy and to protect all political leaders and workers, including our leader Begum Khaleda Zia,” Fakhrul said.

Later, Fakhrul broke the hunger strike by drinking juice offered by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Oli Ahmed around 2 p.m. Former vice chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Anwarullah Chowdhury and Prof Mahbub Ullah fed juice to the standing committee members.

Khaleda Zia, the 78-year-old former prime minister, has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka under the supervision of a 15-member medical board, led by a specialist doctor, Professor Shahabuddin Talukder, since August 9.

The medical board at a press conference recently recommended that she be urgently sent to a multidisciplinary centre abroad as there are now no treatment options available for her in Bangladesh.

Khaleda has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems.

On September 5, Khaleda’s brother Shamim Iskandar submitted an application to the government to take her abroad for treatment, but it was turned down.