NN Online :
BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Monday voiced concerns over what he described as a rising influx of questionable foreign nationals into Bangladesh, accusing the interim government of serving external interests rather than those of the Bangladeshi people.
“We are witnessing the arrival of many suspicious foreigners at different times and with different agendas,” said Abbas, a BNP Standing Committee member, during a discussion event in Dhaka.
He alleged that the government is staging various incidents to deflect public attention from its own failings.
“I no longer see this government as neutral. It is clearly working to serve someone else’s interests. Let me be clear—this is neither a pro-people nor a patriotic administration,” he added.
The remarks were made at a discussion held at the Jatiya Press Club, organised by the Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu Smriti Sangsad to mark the 10th death anniversary of former BNP Organising Secretary Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu.
Abbas also questioned the legitimacy of some advisers within the interim government, claiming that certain individuals holding power are not even citizens of Bangladesh.
“Sometimes I wonder, are we living under colonial rule? It seems we are no longer governed by our own people,” he said.
As a freedom fighter, Abbas raised a series of rhetorical questions, challenging the government’s restrictions on travel to various regions within the country.
“Why am I not allowed to go to Saint Martin’s, Sajek, or Baghaichhari? Are we living in a free country or do we now need a passport and visa to travel within our own borders?” he asked.
Abbas further criticised the decision to grant a humanitarian corridor through Bangladesh to Myanmar’s Rakhine State, asserting that such decisions must reflect public consent.
“No corridor or passage through our country should be allowed without the people’s approval. Only an elected government can make such decisions,” he emphasized.
He also took aim at leaders of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) for their silence on these critical national issues.
“Ziaur Rahman didn’t fight for independence just to see the country handed over to others,” Abbas concluded.
