The BNP sent a letter to embassies and high commissions in Dhaka on Monday, blaming the government, ruling party "cadres" and the police for the incidents of violence surrounding its Naya Paltan grand rally on Saturday.
A senior BNP leader, preferring not to be named, said the seven-page letter, along with some documents as well as video and audio clips, was sent to the missions on Monday afternoon.
In the letter, signed by BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, the party also informed foreign diplomats of the current political situation in the country.
With seven subheadings, the BNP elaborated on what happened on Saturday and the reason for announcing tougher programs like its countrywide hartal and blockade.
“On October 28, 2023, during the grand rally of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), certain individuals from the authoritarian Awami League government’s heavily politicized law enforcement agencies and the ruling party terrorists orchestrated violent attacks, leading to chaos and damage to public lives and property. The BNP, as a political party with a firm belief in peace and liberalism, vehemently denounces and expresses profound disappointment and outrage over this situation,” the letter reads.
“If we scrutinize the targets and victims of a carefully orchestrated master plan by the Awami League to sow discord on that significant day of our grand rally, it becomes evident how the state machinery exploits the unfortunate murder of a policeman as a crucial legal tool to implicate numerous eminent BNP leaders and passionate activists across the country.”
The BNP said the government’s intentions are driven by a deadly agenda to arrest, harass and entangle BNP leaders and followers in legal troubles ahead of the election.
“We view this as an integral part of the Awami League's three-pronged strategy: first, undermining the BNP's peaceful and nonviolent demonstrations with controversial clashes and confrontations; second, spreading widespread fear and intimidation among millions of opposition grassroots and followers through violent attacks; and third, ensnaring BNP leaders and key activists in fabricated, high-risk cases in a vain effort to keep us away from the ongoing one-point demand movement.”
The BNP sent the letter before Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen briefed foreign diplomats on the current political situation and political violence on Saturday.
