Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior leader Moudud Ahmed on Friday said the movement for restoration of democracy under the leadership of the party chairperson Khaleda Zia would continue.
He said the movement will continue until restoration of ‘healthy environment and democracy.’
BNP standing committee member Moudud made the statements while presiding over a preparatory meeting to mark the 34th death anniversary of late president Ziaur Rahman.
Senior leaders of BNP and presidents, general secretaries and senior leaders of the party’s front and associate organisations attended the meeting at Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office.
The death anniversary of Zia, founder of BNP, will be observed on May 30.
Moudud said people will remember Zia decade after decade for many reasons, including his ‘proclamation’ of independence and extraordinary role in the armed struggle during the Liberation War.
He said people had brought Zia into power through a spontaneous sepoy-people uprising on November 7 in 1975.
Moudud, also former law minister, said Zia himself did not stage any coup, did not impose martial law, did not suspend the constitution and did not dissolve the parliament.
He said Zia was assassinated by local and foreign conspirators.
He said Zia restored democracy from one-party rule, rule of law and freedom of press.
He said BNP had always tried to continue democracy.
Moudud said the only way to overcome the present political crisis is to restore democracy.
Standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan at the meeting announced a 15-day programme from May 27 to June 10 to observe Zia’s death anniversary.
The programmes include discussion at Engineers’ Institution on May 28 to be organised by BNP, and on May 30, BNP chairperson along with leaders and activists will place wreaths and offer fateha at the grave of Zia at 10am, hoisting the party flag at half mast and black flag atop all its offices across the country.
Khaleda and senior leaders will distribute food among poor people in Dhaka city from May 30 to June 1.
BNP vice-chairmen Abdullah-Al-Noman, Selima Rahman, joint secretary general Mohammad Shahjahan, Juba Dal senior vice-president Abdus Salam Azad, Muktijoddha Dal president Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat, JASAS president MA Malek, Olama Dal president Abdul Malek and Mohila Dal general secretary Shirin Sultana, among others, attended the meeting.
Source: New Age
