Political parties united against all attempts to thwart July coup

Describing the attack on Inqilab Mancha spokesperson and potential independent candidate for Dhaka-8 constituency Sharif Osman Hadi as part of a conspiracy to thwart the July coup, political party leaders have said that political parties are united to thwart all attempts to thwart the coup. The leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) expressed this commitment at a meeting held at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday (December 13) under the leadership of Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus.

BNP Standing Committee members Salahuddin Ahmed and Hafizuddin Ahmed, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar and Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Southern Region Chief Organizer Hasnat Abdullah, Inqilab Manch Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber and Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul participated in the meeting.

The Chief Advisor said that the attack on Osman Hadi is part of a pre-planned and deep conspiracy; a huge force is working behind it. The aim of the conspirators is to prevent the election from happening. This attack is very symbolic. They want to show their power, want to disrupt all the election arrangements. These must be dealt with unitedly.

He said, ‘From the information received so far, it seems that the conspirators have expanded their network. They have taken to the field with trained shooters.’

BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed said, in this situation, we must remain united. We must refrain from blaming each other under any circumstances. We must raise our voice unitedly against conspiracies. We will not tolerate any kind of evil force.

He also said, no matter how much political statements we have, we must remain united in the interest of the nation and the interest of July. He advised to recover illegal weapons and intensify operations against conspirators.

Jamaat leader Golam Parwar said, in recent times, our various statements have increased the tendency to blame each other, due to which our opponents have got an opportunity. We must remain united as before. We have made each other opponents for the sake of small party interests. Why should we say things that divide the nation? All parties must fix their commitments.

NCP chief Nahid Islam said, since the July coup, some people have been carrying out various mischiefs to belittle the coup. A well-organized campaign is going on against July. This work is being done at various levels of the media and administration. Those who come to power after the elections will also be victims of this. No one can run the government alone.

He said, ‘A narrative is being created in the media and social media about the July coup in such a way that it seems that those who carried out the coup committed a crime. Various efforts are being made to normalize the Awami League and the Jatiya Party. They are regularly participating in TV talk shows, holding meetings in various places of the administration, meeting in universities and raising slogans in the court premises.

Nahid Islam said, ‘We do not need any special security. We will not take it. We have to own July together. We are ending July with this tension of who will say what to July. The conspirators see our disunity as our defeat. They are doing whatever they want while sitting in India, and we are unable to do anything.

He also said, ‘Those who implement the objectives of the Awami League in the guise of intellectuals and cultural activists must be stopped. Action must be taken in this regard.’

Hasnat Abdullah said, ‘If we cannot remain united ourselves, no security will be of any use to us. The parties are creating various opportunities for the Awami League for political interests.’

The chief advisor said, we have to think about what we can do for the future. He said, not only the government, but everyone must be strong. We must take care that conflicts do not spread among ourselves. There will be political statements, but we must move away from the culture of considering someone an enemy or attacking. Tensions arise during elections, but we must keep it in mind that it should be controlled within a certain level.

Asif Nazrul said, the Awami League has become stronger since the clashes between political parties started. Calling on political parties to remain united, he said, "You must be vigilant not only about party interests but also about national interests."