US for bringing Reaz Rahman’s attackers to justice

New Age Online

The United States of America has condemned attack on Reaz Rahman, an adviser to Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia, saying it was ‘shocked and saddened’.Reaz’s car was also set on car in the capital’s Gulshan area on Tuesday evening, prompting the BNP to call a 24-hour hartal beginning Thursday morning.‘There is no justification for such outrageous and cowardly acts in a democratic Bangladesh; we condemn the use of violence for political objectives,’ said a statemend issued by the US State Department.It reads: We urge the government of Bangladesh to investigate, track down, and hold accountable those responsible for these acts. We urge all sides to refrain from acts of violence. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and eschew violence and intimidation, and we urge the government to ensure people can freely exercise their right to peaceful political expression.

Khaleda Zia condemned the attack on the former diplomat, carried out near a police checkpoint. ‘The attack followed provocative remarks by the government high ups.’ she alleged.Reaz, the 75-year-old former state minister for foreign affairs, was hit by four bullets in the left leg and on his back on an alleyway near Westin Hotel in Gulshan-2 intersection at about 8:30pm on his way back from the Gulshan office of Khaleda Zia.BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has been in confinement since January 3 to her Gulshan office.Reaz was rushed to nearby United Hospital where he underwent surgery, the hospital and his party officials said.

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