Statement of BNP Acting Chairman Mr. Tarique Rahman on the Occasion of the 46th Founding Anniversary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP

On the occasion of the 46th founding anniversary of the BNP, I extend my heartfelt greetings and congratulations to all the leaders, activists, well-wishers, and the people of Bangladesh.

Today is a day of joy, enthusiasm, and inspiration for the people of Bangladesh. On this auspicious day in 1978, the founder of the BNP and the announcer of independence, the Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, established the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP. In the BAKSAL system, democracy was murdered solely to maintain absolute power. It was the Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman who revived this dead democracy. The path of multiparty democracy in Bangladesh began once again. Over the past 46 years, the BNP, founded by the Shaheed President Zia, has taken the responsibility of governance through free and fair elections involving all stakeholders and has worked for the prosperity and welfare of the country and its people. I pay deep respect to the great announcer of independence, a successful statesman, and the architect of modern Bangladesh, the Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam.

Our beloved party has played the role of an ever-vigilant sentinel in safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of the country. Numerous leaders and activists have sacrificed their lives without hesitation in the quest for restoring exiled democracy. The uncompromising role of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia in the 1980s movement against the nine-year-long military dictatorship is a shining chapter in history. It was through her pioneering role that democracy was restored. I offer my respectful salute to the Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia. To strengthen and institutionalize democracy in Bangladesh, the BNP reintroduced parliamentary democracy through constitutional amendments during its tenure in office after being elected in 1991. This was led by the unparalleled symbol of democracy, Begum Khaleda Zia. The BNP's strong role in the practice and development of multiparty democracy, as well as in the country's overall development journey, has always been appreciated by the people. As a result of the BNP's vigorous efforts and initiatives for upholding democracy and economic prosperity, the party has now become the most popular political party among the people of the country. By maintaining the trust and confidence of the people, the BNP will continue to play a strong role in the service of the motherland in the days to come, Inshallah. I pay deep respect to all the leaders and activists of the party who have passed away since the founding of the party and to those who have lost their lives in the fifteen-year-long reign of Awami fascism and the recent student-led movement that has shed blood, as well as to those who have died in the recent floods in the eastern region.

It is now time to bring back democracy from exile. The sacrifices of the martyrs of the democratic movement over the last one and a half decades will only be meaningful if we can ensure the rule of law, freedom of expression, press freedom, and the independence of the judiciary. On this auspicious occasion of the founding anniversary, let our pledge be to build Bangladesh as a stable and peaceful country that safeguards the rights of its citizens, free from oppression, torture, and all forms of brutality. Let there never again be any recurrence of enforced disappearances, secret killings, extrajudicial killings, atrocities against women and children, terrorism, extortion, corruption, and money laundering. The main objective of the BNP now is to restore the rights of the people, alleviate their sufferings, and once again establish the country's independence, sovereignty, and the multiparty democratic process. Due to the devastating floods in the eastern part of the country, the BNP has shortened its five-day program for the 46th founding anniversary to one day. The BNP is a people's party, and at this moment, the most important task is to assist the flood-affected and waterlogged people in a large part of the country until they are rehabilitated. Therefore, I once again call upon all the leaders and activists of the party to stand by the flood victims until their rehabilitation is complete.

(Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi)

Senior Joint Secretary General  

Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP