BNP leader Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said peace is returning to the country, with fresh hope for a February election following the London meeting between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
Speaking at a discussion, he also criticized Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh for opposing the joint press conference held after the London meeting.
"If you observe the situation in Bangladesh before and after the meeting, you'll see that various forms of unrest have decreased. Peace and order are returning, as people now have hope for an election that many were trying to delay," said the BNP leader.
Zahid, a BNP Standing Committee member, urged the interim government to return the people’s power and the country’s ownership to them as early as possible by arranging the national election.
“The power to build the future of Bangladesh lies in returning the rights of the people as soon as possible,” he said.
The BNP leader also urged the government to remain vigilant and careful to ensure that no efforts are made to delay the election.
The Nationalist Research Foundation (NRF) arranged the program titled “The Leadership of Statesman Ziaur Rahman and Present-day Bangladesh” at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
In an oblique reference to the meeting between the chief adviser and Tarique on June 13, Zahid said many people are saying many things about it.
He said Jamaat and other parties held several meetings with the chief adviser at his official residence, State Guest House Jamuna, and subsequently briefed reporters about the outcomes.
Zahid said the chief adviser’s press secretary also separately briefed the media about the meetings.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, but you criticized the joint press conference after the meeting with Tarique. Perhaps it’s time you looked in the mirror,” he added.
He said Tarique is not just an individual but a representative of the country’s largest population group, and the eldest son of the proclaimer of Bangladesh’s independence and late president Ziaur Rahman, as well as three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia.
“Tarique has united the democratic people with his qualifications and is leading them. So, when you compare yourself with him, people laugh,” the BNP leader observed.
Criticizing Jamaat’s statement that the nation has become embarrassed following the joint press conference in London, Zahid said: “Don’t say that the entire nation has been embarrassed. You are not the wholesaler of the entire nation. How did you become the representative of 180 million people? You can say that your party has been embarrassed.”
“Don’t talk about the whole nation. If you include the whole nation, the calculation is different, because the name of the largest party in Bangladesh is BNP,” Zahid said.
He also said BNP does not want to worry about those speaking negatively about the party, as it prefers to look forward rather than backward.
Stating that BNP has already announced a 31-point election manifesto, he urged Jamaat to present its own manifesto to gain public support.
“Then people will give the responsibility to run and build the country to whomever they like,” he said.
