BNP, Jamaat vow to block AL’s return, call for justice
Abu Jakir :
Following the collapse of the Awami League (AL) government on August 5 after a month-long mass uprising led by students and the public, the party has announced a series of protest programmes, including a hartal, scheduled for February. However, the announcement has been met with strong opposition from the interim government and major political parties, who doubt AL’s ability to rally support.
Since the events of August 5, many top AL leaders, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have reportedly fled to India. In their absence, the party is attempting to regain political relevance through street demonstrations. However, both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami believe that the people of Bangladesh have rejected AL due to its past atrocities and will not support its movement.
The interim government, led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has reinforced its stance against AL-led protests. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam issued a statement on Wednesday, making it clear that demonstrations under AL’s banner would not be permitted, citing the party’s violent history.
When contacted, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council Member Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal told The New Nation that AL’s history of protests is synonymous with violence and financial corruption.
“The people of the country know that Awami League’s movement means killing people using gunpowder and various forms of terrorism. Their politics revolves around siphoning thousands of dollars from the state treasury to foreign accounts,” he stated. Alal further noted that BNP and the people of Bangladesh remain vigilant, questioning how AL plans to occupy the streets without first seeking public forgiveness for its past atrocities.
Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar echoed similar sentiments, asserting that the people of Bangladesh have already rejected AL and will continue to do so.
“People want to bring them to justice first, and if they attempt to create anarchy in the name of movement, the people will give them a befitting response,” he warned. BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has urged the party leaders and activists to take revenge on the Awami League, which has repressed them in many ways over the last 16 years, by implementing the party’s 31-point reform outline, rather than through any other form of retaliation.
Meanwhile, Alam reiterated the government’s position through a social media post, stating that anyone attempting to protest under the AL banner would face the full force of the law. Despite allowing 136 protests in Dhaka alone over the past five and a half months, the interim government maintains that AL’s history of violence disqualifies it from exercising such rights.
Alam accused AL members of participating in the killing of peaceful demonstrators, including students and children, during the July mass uprising. Citing video evidence from July and August, he asserted that the party was responsible for widespread human rights violations. Furthermore, he referenced a report by Human Rights Watch that allegedly links Sheikh Hasina to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during her 16-year tenure.
Financial corruption is another significant accusation against AL. Alam claimed that Hasina’s administration functioned as a “kleptocracy,” siphoning off $234 billion through corrupt dealings.
He added that Hasina’s family members are currently under investigation for illicit financial activities. Beyond financial crimes, the government has highlighted numerous human rights abuses under AL’s rule, including the enforced disappearances of 3,500 individuals, extrajudicial killings of 3,000 people, and mass crackdowns on opposition activists. The killings at Shapla Chattar and following the verdict of Maulana Sayedee have been cited as further evidence of AL’s brutality.
Alam insisted that unless AL publicly acknowledges its past crimes, purges its leadership, and renounces its ideology, it will not be allowed to hold protests. “Unless AL purges its leadership, renounces its fascist ideology, and submits to justice, it will not be permitted to hold protests,” he stated, drawing comparisons to post-World War II global rejection of Nazi rallies. The interim government has positioned itself as a protector of the people’s will, vowing not to allow “a gang of killers and corrupt elites” to return to power. “We will not let Bangladesh descend into violence,” Alam concluded.