BNP wants to know if govt would allow its politics [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

BNP wants to know if govt would allow its politics

Local October 07, 2015

Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday asked the government if anybody other than the ruling party would be allowed to do politics in the country.
The high-handedness of the government in dealing opposition activities proves that it does not want to allow any space for democratic activities, the party alleged.
Pointing to recent murders of an Italian and a Japanese citizen in Dhaka and Rangpur, the party said there seemed to be no need for any investigation agencies or judiciary when the prime minister, without investigation, accused the BNP leaders and activists of killing the foreigners.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan made the statements at a news briefing at the party’s central office.
He said killing of the two foreign nationals was very ‘unfortunate’ and a ‘shame’ for the country and demanded immediate arrest of the killers through proper investigation.
He said arrest of BNP leaders and activists over the foreigners’ killings was aimed at diverting people’s attention from the lawlessness in the country.
‘It seems they (government) will claim to identify the accused and punish them without investigation,’ he anticipated.
The briefing was arranged to protest at accusing BNP standing committee member Tariqul Islam and other local leader in Jessore in an ‘imaginary’ and ‘fabricated’ case in Jessore on Monday. Tariqul has been staying in Dhaka for many days, he added.
He said Tariqul was seriously ill and needed treatment abroad for heart and kidney ailments.
He asked the government not to create any obstacle in the way of proper treatment of Tariqul.
Nazrul cited recent incidents of arrest of BNP leaders and activists and sending them to jail at different places including Sandwip and Bhola during carrying out party activities and appearing before court.
‘We want to know it clearly whether they (the government) would allow other people of the country to do politics or not,’ Nazrul said.
He said rather those of Awami League who were in power before the incumbent prime minister were good in that they had enacted a law stopping politics by others and ‘they were honest (to this regard)’. ‘But now this honesty is absent,’ he added.
Nazrul said the incumbent is enacting any such law, but in reality they are desperate to stop political activities of others. ‘It is unjust, unfair and an offense,’ he said.
Asked what he meant by enacting law to restrict politics, he said BKSAL lat least let people know what the government was doing.
‘Now the government does not enact law, but practically they are doing the same thing,’ he said, adding that when the government was obstructing the activities of a big party like BNP, why it would care about other parties.
Nazrul said when BNP started works for consolidating the party, the government started mass arrest of the party men and filing cases against them.
He said those whose participation is much needed, they have either been arrested or are being arrested.
He protested at the government’s encroachment on the democratic right of the party.
He called for holding an interim general election to run the country with democratically elected people.
Nazrul came down hard on the government as it did not disclose the whereabouts of Rashed-un-Nabi, younger brother of Dhaka city BNP member secretary Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, and Laku for last three days after they were ‘arrested by Rapid Action Battalion in plain clothes’.
He demanded immediate disclosure of their whereabouts.
BNP leaders Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Mohammad Shahjahan, Asaduzzaman Ripon, Shamimur Rahman Shamim and Abdus Salam Azad, among others, were present.