Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and valiant Freedom Fighter Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury on Friday said that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had made two grave mistakes during her 2001-06 tenure.
The two missteps were launching the Operation Clean Heart by army personnel and raising the prices of medicines on advice by industrialist Salman F Rahman, Dr Zafrullah said while speaking at a discussion in the capital.
Dr Zafrullah was earlier criticized heavily by the BNP senior leadership for saying that the party had made a mistake by making Khaleda’s elder son Tarique Rahman a top leader of the party.
Dozens of people were detained, tortured and killed extra-judicially during the operation that created massive criticisms at home and abroad. The operation lasted from October 16, 2003 to January 9, 2004. Later, the BNP-Jamaat government formed the Rapid Action Battalion to launch special operations across the country.
Dr Zafrullah demanded that the search committee tasked with forming the next Election Commission (EC) disclose the 10 shortlisted names three days before they are sent to the president.
“Disclose the names you’ve planned to send to the president to the public first. The people must be given the chance to have a say on the list,” he said.
“No one can do a better search than that of the public and the people of the country will pour in unknown information on the ten final persons to the fore.
“The people will give information which the detectives will be unable to deliver,” he added.
Commenting on an allegation of Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif that Dr Zafrullah had suggested names to the search committee on behalf of the BNP, he said that he had no idea why the AL leader had been spreading lies.
He said that he was never a member of the BNP nor was he an advisor to the BNP chief.
On a different note, Dr Zafrullah demanded that the Digital Security Act be revoked.