Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has condemned India’s decision to open dams and create floods in Bangladesh, labeling it as a criminal offense.
“Ignoring international laws, India is releasing massive amounts of water into Bangladesh, resulting in floods.
This is nothing short of a criminal act,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said during a memorial meeting for former Prime Minister Kazi Zafar Ahmed at the National Press Club on Monday.
The event, marking the 9th death anniversary of Kazi Zafar Ahmed, was organized by a faction of the Jatiya Party (Zafar).
Fakhrul also expressed disappointment that Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s recent address to the nation lacked a clear roadmap for transitioning to democracy.
“We had hoped that the Chief Adviser would outline a plan for national elections in his speech, but that did not happen.
It’s clear that the interim government has limited time to implement such changes,” Fakhrul said.
He acknowledged that while the Chief Adviser mentioned potential reforms, these cannot be executed quickly.
Fakhrul emphasized that the timing of elections should be determined politically and requires dialogue with various political parties.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus assured that a free, fair, and participatory election would be organized after necessary reforms in administration, judiciary, election commission, and electoral system.
Fakhrul urged patience from the BNP as they allow the interim government time to fulfill its duties.
“We are prepared to give them a reasonable timeframe to ensure a fair election,” he said.
He also commended the Chief Adviser for his commitment to avoiding a police state, stressing, “We do not want Bangladesh to become a police state or see our people being targeted by the police.”
Fakhrul called for the withdrawal of approximately 6 million false cases filed against BNP leaders and activists by the previous Awami League government.
“We have seen cases against some advisors being dropped; we hope the 145,000 cases against us will also be withdrawn,” he stated.
He noted that students and the public successfully thwarted an attempt by Ansar members to create chaos at the Secretariat, warning against efforts by defeated forces to undermine the people’s victory.
Fakhrul urged the public to remain vigilant against these plots and advised aggrieved groups to avoid actions like besieging the Secretariat and other government buildings.
He criticized the administration for retaining individuals who supported the previous regime’s policies and called for their removal.
“We want to see these individuals replaced with patriotic and deserving people. The nation will not forgive if this is not addressed,” Fakhrul warned.