BNP organised a public meeting in front of its Nayapaltan office in the city on Saturday on the occasion of its 40th founding anniversary — FE photo FE Report
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) made on Saturday a charter of demands for holding the upcoming general election in a free and fair manner.
The demands include the unconditional release of the jailed party chairperson Khaleda Zia and dissolution of parliament before announcement of election schedule.
The BNP also demanded that the incumbent Election Commission (EC) be restructured ahead of the 11th parliamentary polls due for December.
It reasserted the deployment of army during election days for a level-playing field for all the parties.
The party that had ruled the nation four times urged the government to free all the captive leaders and activists.
Senior leaders of the nationalist party called for withdrawal of false cases filed against BNP senior vice-president Tarique Zia and dozens of others.
The demands were placed at a grand rally outside the party's Nayapaltan headquarters to mark its 40th founding anniversary.
The leaders called for a greater national unity to defend democracy and safeguard sovereignty.
Holding banners and placards, thousands of party workers from various parts of the country thronged the meeting venue since morning.
By noon, Nayapaltan and its adjacent areas were chock-full of the rank-and-file members of the party's different front and associate bodies.
The rally began around 2:00pm.
Soon, party adherents chanted slogans demanding the release of Khaleda Zia.
"We called upon the government to unconditionally free Begum Khaleda Zia before elections, dissolve parliament before the announcement of election schedule," said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Criticising the role of the current EC, he demanded its reconstruction alongside deployment of army personnel for the sake of an inclusive parliamentary polls.
"The illegal government has snatched away all rights of the people. Restoring democracy in the country is thus a big challenge for BNP," he told the rally.
Mr Alamgir also touched on the much-talked-about EMV (electronic voting machine) issue in his speech.
He said the countrymen want to rid themselves of the misrule of the present government.
The BNP secretary welcomed the call for a national unity by Gano Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain and Jukto Front chief Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury.
"Let's forge a greater unity for national interests. Our fight will continue until democracy is restored and people's rights are ensured," he said emphatically.
Speaking as the chief guest, BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the party's founder, President Ziaur Rahman, established multiparty democracy in Bangladesh.
He termed this government autocratic and undemocratic.
"The countrymen now want to escape from the misrule of the government. They won't allow the January 5-type election. They will resist it," Mr Hossain said.
He pleaded with public officials, including law-enforcers, to act neutrally and not to allow those who plundered public money out of the country.
BNP standing committee member barrister Moudud Ahmed said youths will not vote for the ruling party as it dealt with quota and road safety demonstrators badly.
Due to the rally, traffic remained halted briefly in Nayapaltan, Kakrail, Fakirapol and adjacent areas.
Senior BNP leaders Mirza Abbas, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Zamir Uddin Sarker and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, among others, also spoke.
Prior to the rally, the party men, led by Mr Alamgir, visited the grave of Ziaur Rahman, placed a wreath there and offered fateha.
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