In a wonderful display of solidarity, local BNP leaders and activists joined a human chain organised by local Awami League activists in Nilphamari on December 23, protesting the recent Jamaat attack on actor and AL lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor.
The attack on Mr Noor, a popular public figure on the national level, sparked outrage and protests from local people who joined the human chain and protest and demanded exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.
However, what is particularly remarkable is that local BNP leaders and activists of BNP also joined the protests and the human chain despite the fact that Jamaat is a key political ally of the BNP. The BNP politicians not only condemned the attacks but they also vowed to resist such attacks in the future.
In a time when violence has become the norm, rather than the exception in our hostile political atmosphere, it is heartwarming to see local politicians take a stand against it, and it gives us hope that perhaps our political environment has not been polluted beyond repair by mindless animosity. The local BNP activists in this case stood up for principles that transcend petty party politics and for this they must be commended.
We can only hope that this act of unity and solidarity for the greater good by local politicians and activists will set an example for the leaders of AL and BNP. It is time that they also follow suit and come together to act on principles that serve the country, instead of tearing it down.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
