Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Tuesday asked the government to explain its ‘motive’ behind destroying evidence by killing militants instead of arresting them alive.
“Awami League leaders are saying BNP is decrying the killing of militants. There’s no reason for BNP to be disappointed over the real militants getting killed and injured. We only want to know for what reason the source of information is being destroyed by killing them. BNP wants militancy to be uprooted by collecting information from extremists,” he said.
Nazrul Islam Khan came up with the remarks at a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
He alleged that the government is making complicated the elimination of the militancy by not taking information from militants by arresting them alive. “People now believe the government is not sincere about stamping out militancy. Had they been sincere, they would have tried to track down the masterminds of extremism instead of killing militants.”
Turning down the ruling party’s allegation that BNP has connection with militancy, Nazrul said BNP has long been talking against militancy. “It’s BNP which had arrested the militants and punished them in the past.”
He said the extremists are getting stronger and desperate as the government is busy blaming opposition instead of taking stern action against militants.
Accusing the government of applying undemocratic and repressive acts against opposition parties, the BNP leader said about 250 ‘false cases’ have been filed against their party leaders and activists over a few days in the name of tackling militancy.
He said their party is in favour of making united efforts for curbing militancy as it is not possible for government or opposition parties to put up a strong resistance against it by lone effort.
The BNP leader said they are contacting different political parties both formally and informally to bring them in a single and united platform for initiating a fight against militancy.
Source: Prothom Alo
