Awami League Publicity Secretary Hasan Mahmud has suggested establishing a special tribunal to put the BNP on trial for its “acts of terrorism” after a Canadian court labelled the party a terrorist organisation.
“We have been repeatedly saying that the BNP is a terrorist ogranisation. The Canadian court's verdict has proven us right,” he told a media briefing at the party chief's Dhanmondi office on Thursday.
Referring to the verdict, Hasan said the BNP had “lost its political character and turned into a terrorist organisation.”
“The time has come to bring the BNP to book for its terrorist activities,” he told the briefing, held to clear the ruling party's stance on the issue. “For this, forming a special tribunal is crucial.”
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An earlier petition by Md Jewel Gazi, a Swechchhasebak Dal activist from Mirpur, was turned down on the same ground that BNP was involved in acts of terrorism.
The court told Jewel that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the BNP was involved, is engaged or will be involved in acts of terrorism in the future.
Meanwhile, the BNP has criticised the verdict, claiming the ruling Awami League was behind it.
More than 100 people are believed to have been killed in a violent three-month blockade enforced by the BNP and its allies in 2015.
Hasan said no one was spared from the BNP's terrorist attacks which burned people alive, launched arson attacks on sleeping people, hurled petrol bombs at devotees going to the Ijtema.
“Terrorists attacks launched by the BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami in 2014 and 2015 are unprecedented,” he added.