‘Enemies of nation trying to rise again’

Staff Reporter:

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that November 7 is an extremely significant day for the party as well as for the entire nation.

“In today’s political context, when people are living in uncertainty and despair, the enemies of the nation are once again trying to raise their heads, creating anarchy, and spreading false propaganda on social media. In such a situation, the spirit of unity embodied in November 7 has become even more relevant,” he said.

He made these remarks on Sunday at BNP’s central office in Naya Paltan, following a discussion meeting organized to mark the “Sipahi-Janata Revolution” of November 7.

Mirza Fakhrul said, “The day of November 7 holds great importance in our politics. In 1975, through the soldiers-people’s revolution, martyred President Ziaur Rahman was freed from house arrest. Conspirators against the country had kept him confined. From that state, patriotic soldiers and the people liberated him, and thus began a new chapter of success in Bangladesh’s history.”

He continued, “Martyred President Ziaur Rahman emerged at the center of Bangladesh’s political arena and quickly led the nation to a position where it could no longer be called a ‘bottomless basket.’ Instead, he lifted the country toward a new horizon of potential. During his tenure began the renaissance of Bangladesh-the beginning of its emergence as an ’emerging tiger.'”

The BNP Secretary General said, “Martyred President Ziaur Rahman was a man of rare caliber in Bangladesh’s political history. We all know that on March 25, 1971, when the Pakistani occupation forces launched their brutal attack on unarmed Bengalis, it was this fearless military officer who, on March 26, from the Kalurghat Radio Station in Chattogram, declared: ‘I hereby declare the independence of Bangladesh.’

“The next five years were marked by the misrule of the Awami League. Under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s leadership, a one-party system-BAKSAL-was established in the country. Administrative failures, corruption, and misgovernance led to the devastating famine of 1974, where hundreds of thousands died of starvation. At that time, the president of the Economic Association himself stated in the presence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that the country’s economy was rapidly heading toward disaster.”

He further said, “After 1975, the situation changed under the leadership of Martyred President Ziaur Rahman. He initiated the first wave of political reforms, bringing the country out of one-party rule into a multi-party democracy. He ensured press freedom, reopened banned newspapers, established the independence of the judiciary, and formed the Supreme Judicial Council. In the economic sphere, he ushered in a new era. Under his leadership, the garment industry began to grow, the process of sending workers abroad started-remittances from which have now become one of the pillars of Bangladesh’s economy. He took groundbreaking initiatives for women’s education and empowerment. In agriculture, he brought about a revolution through canal excavation, the introduction of high-yield varieties of seeds, and reforms in fertilizer distribution. In the industrial sector, three-shift production was introduced, employment expanded, and a wave of new enthusiasm swept across the country-it became a hive of activity.”

“But unfortunately,” Fakhrul continued, “Martyred President Ziaur Rahman was brutally assassinated at the Chattogram Circuit House. Yet his philosophy and ideals live on. The ideology of Bangladeshi nationalism he founded has never been defeated. That is why the BNP, too, has never been defeated-it has risen again and again from the ashes like a phoenix.”

The senior BNP leader said, “Just as Martyred President Ziaur Rahman united the nation, today his successor Tarique Rahman is working from abroad to unite the nation once more. The movement that was carried forward under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia is now being continued by Tarique Rahman, bringing new hope to the people.”

Mirza Fakhrul concluded, “Finally, I reiterate that November 7 is an extremely significant day in our political and national life. We commemorate this day because it awakened the spirit of the nation. With the philosophy of Martyred President Ziaur Rahman as our guiding light, we will continue our march toward fulfilling the dream of a democratic, independent, and sovereign Bangladesh.”