Democracy gasping following Jan-5 polls: Khaleda

Accusing the government of formulating anti-people policies, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia Sunday said democracy is gasping in the country following the January-5 farcical election.
In a statement, she said, “The country’s independence and sovereignty are now at stake while democracy is on the verge of death after the January-5 farcical election.”
Khaleda, also a former Prime Minister, issued the statement greeting the country’s people on the occasion of BNP’s 36th founding anniversary that falls Monday, according to a news agency.
She alleged that the current regime is ignoring the national interests by signing various anti-state agreements and doing anti-people acts.
Claiming that the law and order has sharply deteriorated, the BNP chief said the bodies of people are found regularly on roads and elsewhere across the country.
She said a grand festival of mass killings, secret killings, enforced disappearances, terrorism, graft, repression and extortion are now rampant all over the country.
Khaleda alleged that the government in a bid to stifle the independence of the judiciary through naked politicisation is now going to make a law to re-empower parliament to impeach judges. “The efforts for enacting the law are on to make the Prime Minister all powerful -- above all the institutions.”
She further alleged that the national broadcast policy has been framed to gag the media. “The illegal government will snatch the freedom of expression and free-thinking with this policy.”
The BNP chief urged the country’s people and BNP leaders and activists at all levels to get ready for a movement against the anti-people policy.