Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General on Sunday they have attached highest importance and priority to establish ‘a real democratic Bangladesh’ through bringing back the ‘snatched voting rights’ of the country’s people.
“Democracy and justice must be established in the country at any cost. Country’s people sacrificed at different times for democracy. Therefore, we all will have to establish the right at any cost to repay the ‘blood debt’ of the martyrs,” he said while briefing the media marking the International Day of Democracy at party’s Gulshan office here.
Fakhrul said they believe that people of every section of the society irrespective of their political affiliation have played role in restoration of democracy.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam insisted that their party's role in the recent mass movement against Sheikh Hasina's fascist regime cannot be undermined, citing that 422 of the 875 martyrs in the July-August protests were affiliated with the BNP.
“This movement did not emerge suddenly. It was the manifestation of years of oppression, suppression, and resentment. It was not an isolated incident but the result of the BNP’s long-standing efforts. There’s no room to belittle the BNP’s contribution here," he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, the BNP leader also said the people of Bangladesh tasted freedom once again on August 5 by dismantling 16 years of autocratic rule and paving the way for democracy.
"Countless individuals and families have sacrificed over the years, contributing to a fascism-free Bangladesh. According to various reports, 875 people were martyred across Bangladesh in the 'July Massacre' up to August 13, with at least 422 of them involved in BNP politics," he said.
Fakhrul also said the significant portion of martyrs being BNP leaders and activists is not an isolated event, but rather the inevitable result of the party’s enduring political struggle.
He claimed that the BNP’s goal was not to seek political gains by claiming credit for the movement, but rather to ensure the active participation of leaders, activists, and supporters from all levels.
“As the country's major political party, the BNP, along with all its affiliated and associate organisations, took to the streets with full strength, reflecting the people's aspirations and fuelling the mass uprising,” the BNP leader said.
He said the BNP played a pivotal organisational role in the mass uprising with the aim of toppling fascism and establishing a democratic Bangladesh.
Fakhrul said a significant portion of the 60 lakh BNP members, who were falsely implicated in cases during the fascist regime, stood by the common people like a shield against the state's conspiracies and repression.
“Consequently, the BNP, along with all like-minded political parties and pro-democracy forces, from their respective positions, united with the masses, joining the people's struggle for justice and democracy," he said.
The BNP leader stressed that the lives lost—whether they were garment workers, rickshaw pullers, students from public or private universities, or individuals with leftist or rightist ideologies, regardless of their political or non-political affiliations—are all of equal value. "Every drop of blood deserves the same respect.".
“So, each instance of killing must be documented with equal importance and justice must be ensured. The national consensus for Sheikh Hasina's resignation did not arise suddenly; it’s a manifestation of accumulated public anger against the illegitimate government’s oppression, injustice, corruption, misrule, deprivation, and exploitation,” he said.
