BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said the administration led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has failed to control militancy and terrorism in Bangladesh.
To resolve the issue, she has asked Hasina to step down and organise an impartial national election.
The BNP chairperson spoke to reporters after exchanging Eid-ul-Fitr greetings with diplomats, leaders and activists of her party, and others at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.
“(Terrorist) incidents are taking place in Bangladesh one after another. The government has so far been unable to handle any of the incidents. None of the criminals have been arrested; fair probe and trials have also not taken place over these incidents in Dhaka and elsewhere.
“We have said that this government has failed from the beginning. Now it should take responsibility for their failures and hand over power to an impartial administration to hold a fair election,” said the former prime minister.
She said the government took a ‘delayed decision’ to launch the operation to rescue hostages from the Gulshan cafe that came under attack by a group of armed gunmen on the night of Jul 1.
“Why the raid was conducted in the early hours (of Jul 2)? I saw on TV that many police and RAB personnel were there. But they called the army commandoes in the end.
“By the time they went in, (hostages) were killed. Why this delay? Why was this done so late? This is the people’s question.”
She also expressed concern over the terrorist attack earlier in the day at Sholakia in Kishoreganj in which four persons, including two policemen, were killed and several others injured.
“We are shocked by the incident at Sholakia.”
Regarding the cafe attack, in which 20 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed by the terrorists, Khaleda said, “The country is in a bad situation. Everyone is living in fear.”
She alleged that the terrorists were able to carry out the attack in Gulshan-2 due to lack of security in the Capital’s diplomatic zone.
“Now is the time for national unity. Everyone must come together to stop the violent crimes that are taking place.
“But those who are in power are only busy playing the blame game instead of uniting the people,” said the BNP chief.
She reiterated her party’s claim that opposition leaders and activists were being detained and tortured, while the real criminals were getting away.
She said one must wait and watch whether the incumbent, but ‘unelected’, government was prepared to tackle such attacks in future.
“Police have failed to provide security to people,” Khaleda said. “Why couldn’t they thwart the attack in Gulshan?”
Greeting the people and party leader and activists on Eid, she said, “We don’t want to see such incidents take place on Eid day. Bangladeshis are peace and democracy loving people. They believe in the rule of law, justice, and freedom of speech.
“But these have been taken away from them. That’s why today we are in this situation. This needs to end.”
Source: bdnews24
