BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia addresses a cultural function organised by Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangshtha marking Pahela Baishakh in front of BNP office in the city on Thursday.
he Bangladsh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Thursday hoped that democracy would be restored in the Bangla new year, 1423, and called on all to move forward hand in hand for democracy.
She made the call while briefly addressing a cultural programme in front of BNP central office at Nayapaltan in the capital organised by Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangshtha to celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla calendar.
She said, ‘We hope that we would get back democracy in the Bangla new year and people would get rid of killing, enforced disappearance and repression.’
Now the most essential task is to bring back democracy, she added.
Many leaders and activists of BNP and its front and associate organisations joined the programme with processions chanting anti-government slogans.
The BNP chairperson urged all to get united forgetting divisions and misunderstandings to take the country forward.
She said language martyrs at the cost of blood had established dignity of Bangla language and in the new Bangla year Bangladesh should be placed before the world as a country of peace, welfare and development by working all together.
‘We have experienced many sorrows and pains,’ she said, urging all to go ahead for peace and welfare forgetting those pains and sorrows.
In white sari with red border, Khaleda greeted people of all sections, all political leaders, world community and expatriate Bangladeshis.
The programme that started around 2:30pm was ended at about 5:15pm. Dhaka Metropolitan Police earlier banned any outdoor programme marking the Pahela Baishakh after 5:00pm on Thursday.
The cultural programme formally began through recitation from the holy Quran followed by national anthem and BNP’s party songs.
Various folks, vawaiya, patriotic and popular Bangla songs were performed by artistes of JASAS including Baby Naznin.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also addressed the function attended, among others, by BNP leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
JASAS president MA Malek presided over the event while general secretary Monir Khan, also a singer, conducted it.
Source: New Age