The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Sunday afternoon launched its rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, over an hour behind the scheduled time, with an emotional speech from the brother of a slain protester.
The party was set to unveil a 24-point “Manifesto for a New Bangladesh,” following its countrywide July procession last month.
The event also included speeches from other family members of the July uprising martyrs.
The event officially commenced around 5:15pm, with central leaders including NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain present.
Rabbiul Awal, the brother of slain protester Imam Hasan Tayeb, opened the gathering with a heartfelt address.
“My brother gave his life for a dream, and today’s rally is for that dream to be realised. I hope no other brother loses a sibling this way, no mother loses her son, and Bangladesh can rise with dignity.”
Though the rally was scheduled to begin at 4pm, crowds began gathering at the venue from early afternoon.
People of various ages, backgrounds, and faiths joined the rally — not just from Dhaka but from other parts of the country as well.
According to the NCP, the manifesto to be unveiled will outline the party’s vision for governance, foreign policy, education, healthcare, technology, diaspora policy, and a corruption-free administrative framework.
