Maintain peace at any cost: Tarique Rahman
NN ONLINE:
On his historic return from London today after long 17-year in exile, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has shared his plan to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh with collective efforts of all, reiterating his call to maintain peace and order at any cost.
“We want peace . . . we want to build a safe Bangladesh for all. We have to keep calm and patience in facing any provocation,” he told a historic mammoth gathering at July 36 Expressway in the capital.
He added: “Let us take a pledge to make united efforts to build our expected Bangladesh”. Referring to a popular quote from US civil right activist Martin Luther King “I Have a dream”, Tarique Rahman said, “I have a plan for the people of my country and for my country.” He sought cooperation from people of all walks to fulfill the plan to build a safe Bangladesh where people irrespective of castes, creeds and faiths can live in peaceful environment.
In his address, Tarique Rahman recalled continuity of various movements and sacrifices of the people in the history of Bangladesh from Liberation War to 2024 mass uprising.
“Our loving motherland was achieved through the blood of lakhs of martyrs in the 1971 Liberation War,” he said. He also recalled the Sepoy-People’s Revolution of November 7, 1975, the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, and the uprising of August 5, 2024, as struggles to protect the country’s freedom and sovereignty.
“In 2024, the students and masses all walks of life protected the independence and sovereignty of this country on that day,” said the BNP acting chairman. He said the people of Bangladesh now want to regain their democratic rights and right to speak. “Today the people of Bangladesh want to receive fair rights according to their qualifications. Now is time for everyone to build the country together,” he said.
Tarique Rahman presented a vision of a pluralistic and inclusive society. He spoke of the dream of building a safe Bangladesh through the collective effort of all religious communities—Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and people from the hills and plains. In his words, “We want to build a Bangladesh where a woman, a man, a child … can safely leave home and, safely return home again, Insha’Allah.”
He cited the hopes and expectations of various segments of the nation — half of the population being women, over four crore youths, about five crore children, forty lakh people with disabilities, and crores of farmers and laborers—and stated, “If we unite, all these expectations can be fulfilled.” Tarique Rahman paid rich tributes to those who sacrificed their lives, starting from the martyrs of 1971, to those who died in the last 15 years and in the 2024 movement and specifically remembered Shaheed Osman Hadi, a courageous figure in the ’24 movement, who was killed recently.
He said, “If we are to repay the debt of the blood of these people, let us build the Bangladesh we aspire to.” He dubbed the young generation as the primary instrument for nation-building. “Especially the members of the young generation, you will lead the country in the days to come … this responsibility must be taken up by the members of the young generation today,” Tarique Rahman said.
He spoke highly of building the country on a democratic and strong economic foundation. Noting the illness of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, he said, “As a son, my heart lies beside my mother’s bed in that hospital room.”
However, he also mentioned that he could not discard the people for whom Khaleda Zia had dedicated her whole life, and that is why he came to express his gratitude to everyone before going to the hospital.He also sought prayers (doa) from the countrymen for his mother’s recovery. He again urged people from all walks of life to maintain peace and order at any cost, avoid any kind of chaos, and maintain patience.
Expressing in his words, “Our desire should be that a child, a woman, a man, a person of any age, any class, any profession, or any religion remains safe.” He concluded by calling upon everyone to stay united and take a solemn promise to build the nation through collective efforts.