37 lakh partymen face political cases: BNP

Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has claimed that some 37 lakh of their leaders and workers are facing various cases numbering one lakh and over 1000 of their men are victims of extrajudicial killings.
“The current government in an attempt to stay in power has made 600 BNP leaders and workers victims of enforced disappearance while over 1000 BNP men were victims of extrajudicial killing,” BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said on Sunday.
Addressing a memorial meeting on the death anniversary of former President of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) Riazuddin Ahmed at the JPC, he said, “The government has lodged over one lakh cases against about 37 lakh BNP leaders and workers in a bid to silence our voices.”
Drawing attention to the importance of democracy for media, the BNP senior leader said, “The journalists cannot enjoy the freedom of expression in absence of democracy in the country. Only the free exercise of journalism can protect the democracy.”
He also said that country’s politics, society and
economy were passing through a hard time.
“If we want to protect politics, society and economic, we have to stand against the government which is in power for over one decade by rigging votes,” he added.
Describing about the current political situation and BNP’s role, Mosharraf Hossain said, “BNP has announced a 10-point charter of demand to protect democracy and at the same time placed a 27-point proposal before the nation to repair the state machinery.”
Meanwhile, BNP leaders and workers before their party headquarters at Naya Paltan on Sunday offered a Gayebana Janaza for Abdur Rashid Arefin, a BNP leader in Panchagarh who was allegedly killed in police firing during their Saturday’s countrywide mass rally.
BNP senior leaders including Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Tuku, Abdullah Al Noman, Barkat Ullah Bulu and leaders and workers of 12-party Alliance like Bangladesh Kallyan Party Chairman Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim and Bangladesh Labour Party Chairman Dr Mostafizur Rahman attended the Janaza.
BNP leaders urged all political parties to wage simultaneous movement against the government to topple them from power by ballot.
BNP is in the field now with various demands and proposals including restoration of a caretaker government essential for holding free and fair polls, release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and formation of a commission to investigate the alleged political killings and enforced disappearances.
Following their last mass rally in Dhaka on December 10, top leaders of BNP including Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas are now behind bars along with other leaders and workers.