Fall of govt only a matter of time: BNP
A top leader of the political opposition says the incumbent government will depart through a popular uprising
The Awami League's fall from power is only a matter of time, according to BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, as he said BNP's 10-point demand centres on overthrowing the current government.
While speaking as the chief guest at a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Saturday, he said, "The gist of BNP's 10-point demand is that the current government must leave power. And it is only a matter of time now"
"No autocratic government leaves power on its own; it has to be overthrown by a popular uprising. As in the past the student masses ousted the dictator Ershad [Lt Gen Hussain Muhammad Ershad who served as the president from 1983 to 1990] through an uprising, this government will depart in a similar way," the top BNP leader added.
The Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) organised the discussion marking the 87th birth anniversary of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said that Ziaur Rahman himself first revolted by declaring independence and the countrymen fought the liberation war under his leadership.
"But today's hybrid regime is trying to cover up its failure by labelling Ziaur Rahman as a Pakistani agent," he commented.
Khandaker Mosharraf, a former BNP minister, also criticised the incumbent government's handling of democracy and human rights, citing at least 600 BNP activists missing so far and the imprisonment of party chairperson Khaleda Zia on "false charges".
"Today there is no democracy in the country. The government is isolated from the people as it does not feel for the countrymen," he said, adding, "The country's economy is in tatters, with at least Tk11 lakh crore looted and laundered abroad, and commodity and fuel prices increasing."
"The judiciary has been compromised by partisanship. No real progress can be made under the current government. It is time for the people to reclaim their power, and to elect a government that can restore the economy and bring democracy back to the country," he noted
DAB President Harun Al Rashid presided over the meeting, while DAB Advisor Farhad Halim, Secretary General Abdus Salam and others were also present.