Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said some troublemakers and instigators are making evil attempts to destroy freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

“It is very unfortunate that a dangerous matter has begun, which is launching attack on newspapers and attack on freedom of expression for which we have always struggled and fought,” he said while speaking at a book launching ceremony in a Gulshan hotel here today.

Fakhrul said: “Today we are witnessing that some troublemakers and instigators have resorted to impede and destroy the freedom of press. Any conscious or patriotic person cannot accept such attempts by any means“.

The BNP secretary general urged all, who are making such attempts, to get rid of this “suicidal path” and extend cooperation to the government to give democracy an institutional shape.

He said the country’s media enjoyed the highest level of freedom during the tenure of BNP from 2001-2006.

A book titled “Tarique Rahman: Politics and Policies Contemporary Bangladesh”, authored by writer, journalist and researcher Mohammad Zainal Abedin, was launched on the event with former Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad and BNP Standing Committee member Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar in the chair.

About the recent clashes of students in the capital, Mirza Fakhrul urged all to remain patient and extend cooperation to the interim government.

“If the government fails, the revolution and mass uprising will also fail. And again, we will fall in darkness. So, we will have to think positively over these issues,” he said.

Mentioning the remarks of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman over the reform programme, Fakhrul said BNP is not opposing the reforms. “Reforms must be done.

We want to go for election following minimum required reforms. ” he added.

About why he is repeatedly talking about elections, he said without elections, many problems cannot be resolved and many challenges cannot be faced.

The BNP secretary general said an elected government can face many challenges with people’s mandate.

About the current situation of the country, Fakhrul said: “Today many people are becoming anxious and concern about what is happening in the country. Actually, we have to understand that our enemies, who left from our front but they are creating unrest again in the country from behind the scene. We all will have to remain alert to this end”.

Fakhrul said BNP Chairperson and two-time Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and her family members, including Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, had to endure severe and inhumane physical and mental torture since the political changeover of one-eleven as well as during the previous Awami League regime.

Khaleda Zia was sent to jail in false cases during the AL regime while Tarique Rahman was forced to leave the country by giving false cases but they never gave up and bowed down head rather they continued their struggle, he said.

The BNP secretary general said Tarique Rahman has been leading the party with his organizational efficacy and democratic mindset since Begum Zia was sent to jail in false cases.

About maintaining democracy inside the party, he said Tarique Rahman has been holding regular meetings with the party leaders for drawing up programmes of the party and taking any policy decision and maintaining contact with party workers at grassroots, including union level.

It has been possible to oust the Sheikh Hasina’s regime in students-led mass uprising, he said, adding that, “I think Tarique Rahman has the highest contributions to this end. He organized and inspired the nation for long. At the final stage of the mass uprising, he always kept communication with all (stakeholders), even the coordinators.”

Around 422 leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal and different other organizations of the party embraced martyrdom during the mass uprising, he mentioned.

About the struggle and sacrifice of BNP during the AL regime, he said 60 lakh leaders and activists faced false cases, 20,000 partymen were killed, over 700 others including BNP MPs became victims of enforced disappearance.

Veteran journalist Shafik Rehman, writer of the book Mohammad Zainal Abedin, Honorary Professor of Department of Oriental Art of Fine Arts Faculty of Dhaka University Dr. Md. Abdus Sattar, Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, Bangladesh Open University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Dr. Dil Rowshan Zinnat Ara Nazneen and academician Mubashar Hasan, spoke on the occasion, among others.

Senior BNP leaders, academics, civil society figures also joined the event.