Bangladesh Nationalist Party holds a discussion marking International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday cautioned that those who are involved in staging crimes of enforced disappearances of the party’s leaders and activists will one day be tried.
BNP senior leaders issued the warning while addressing a function marking the International Enforced Disappearance Day to convey sympathy to the relatives of those leaders and activists of the party and its front and associate organizations, who fell victim to enforced disappearance.
The programme titled Anonta Apekhya (Wait for Forever), Enforced Disappearance in Bangladesh- 2009-2016 was organised by BNP at Supreme Court Bar Association Auditorium.
Presiding over the event, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said none who are involved in enforced disappearance would be spared.
One day they will have to face trial for committing the serious heinous crimes against humanity when a people’s government is established and their rights restored, he said.
BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said there will be serious consequences for the politics of enforced disappearance, and trials of the perpetrators of enforced disappearance would be held one day on the soil of the country.
Little Arian, son of Khalid, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal thana level leader of Dhaka city and victim of enforced disappearance, told the function that he and his father would go to Eid congregation together. Arian called on Allah to return back his beloved father as he wanted to travel with his father.
Another kid Ridi who caught a fever said she would be cured if her father came back. Ridi is daughter of Pervez, JCD Dhaka city’s Bangsal thana unit leader, victim of enforced disappearance.
Sisters, fathers and wives of those leaders and activists of BNP and JCD who fell victim to enforced disappearance, allegedly by member of law enforcers, described their sorrows and pains of losing near and dear ones and waited for their return.
BNP secretary general Fakhrul called on people to get united in the present ‘serious’ situation, forgetting conflicts, to forge a movement with people to provide answer to the questions of the children of victims of the enforced disappearance.
He regretted that leaders of some political parties or certain organisations wanted deny BNP activists their rights.
Fakhrul reminded them that no one was spared from the repression of Hitler.
The BNP leader criticised the government for issuing fresh ‘summons’ to the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in a case over her date of birth.
He also critcised the government’s move to withdraw Shwadhinata Padak conferred on the late president Ziaur Rahman.
He said those who deny Zia, deny Independence. The War of Independence of Bangladesh and name of Ziaur Rahman are inseparable, he claimed.
The BNP leader said there is news that new laws are being enacted and under that law, extremists would not have to be produced before court.
Fakhrul said the country has now turned into a ‘jungle’.
BNP standing committee member Moudud said a time will come when people will turn around and democracy will return.
He said it is natural that the rise of extremism will take place due to political ‘vacuum’ and ‘absence’ of democracy in the country.
BNP leaders Jamiruddin Sircar, Zainul Abedin, Nitai Roy Chowdhury and Mahbub Uddin Khokon, among others, addressed the function conducted by organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince.
Source: New Age
