Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will stage demonstrations across the country protesting the removal of the party founder Ziaur Rahman’s Swadhinata Padak (independence award) from the National Museum.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of BNP, announced the protest programmes on Thursday condemning the government’s heinous decision taken from political vengeance.
“We think such move of the government is not only politically motivated but also revengeful and audacious,” he told journalists at a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan headquarters in Dhaka.
The party will stage demonstration in Dhaka on Friday and in the district headquarters and divisional cities on Saturday, said the BNP leader.
“By removing Zia's award from the museum, the government is not only undermining Ziaur Rahman but also defaming the freedom fighters,” Fakhrul claimed.
“Government's such move proves that it has no any true relation with the freedom fighters.”
The BNP leader termed the incident as the worst incident of the political history of Bangladesh.
“We think such anti-people decision will split the nation further, deepen the country’s prevailing political crisis and help propagate politics of vengeance.”
Claiming that Zia and Bangladesh is inseparable, Fakhrul said: “They are basically anti-liberation force who removed president Zia’s award from the museum and want to shift his graveyard by denying his contribution to the country’s liberation war in 1971.”
On Wednesday, the government removed Zia’s Swadhinata Padak from the National Museum.
Zia was given the award during the tenure of BNP-led 4-party government in 2003. Since then, his crest and relevant documents were kept in the museum.
Swadhinata Padak, the highest state award of Bangladesh, is given in recognition of any citizen's outstanding contributions to any field.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
