BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has expressed concern over the interim government's willingness to establish a humanitarian passage from the Chittagong Hill Tracts to Myanmar's Rakhine State, formerly Arakan State.
Fakhrul voiced his reservations while addressing two separate rallies in Jagannathpur union's Sheikh Bazar and Boro Khochabari as part of the BNP’s mass contact campaign in rural areas, organized by Thakurgaon Sadar upazila unit of the BNP on Monday.
He said: "Through the newspapers, we learned that Md Touhid Hossain, the interim government's foreign affairs adviser, said a humanitarian passage will be arranged from Bangladesh to Arakan.”
Notably, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday said the interim government agrees in principle, subject to conditions, to the United Nations' proposal to establish a humanitarian corridor through Bangladesh to send aid to Rakhine.
Fakhrul said: “This is a matter of a significant decision, and before making such a decision, discussions with all political parties should have been held. Such passages have been used to send aid to war-torn Gaza via Jordan. We do not want our country to become another Gaza.”
He continued: “The authoritarian Sheikh Hasina government gave shelter to over one million Rohingyas in the country but made no effort to repatriate them. Bangladesh is already facing such a complex situation.”
“Taking such a major decision alone by the government is not right," said the BNP secretary general.
"This decision is linked to our independence, sovereignty, and the future peace and stability of this region. If this is requested by the United Nations, and if there is widespread public support for this initiative, the BNP will support any effort for world peace."
Regarding the upcoming election, Fakhrul said: "The interim government has said that elections will be held between December and June. We want a clear roadmap for the elections."
He criticized the government for setting election and reform efforts against each other, saying: "The BNP’s 31-point reform program outlines the most necessary reforms for the country."
Fakhrul also highlighted the centuries-old communal harmony in the country among Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians, which he claimed has been disrupted by the previous authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina.
He blamed Ramesh Sen, a member of the Awami League's central nomination committee, for instigating communal tensions in Thakurgaon, calling him one of the allies of the fallen autocratic regime.
The BNP secretary general also said that, if the BNP comes to power, priority will be given to creating employment opportunities for the people.
