People fighting for democratic & economic rights: Mosharraf

BNP Standing Committee member Dr. Mosharraf Hossain addressing a discussion meeting of the Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Dal as the chief guest at DRU on Saturday.

Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, senior member of the standing committee of BNP said on Saturday that the people are now fighting for democracy the economic rights even after half a century of independence. 

Addressing a discussion meeting on the founding anniversary of the party organised by the Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Dal as the chief guest at the Nasrul Hamid auditorium of Dhaka Reporters' Unity he said the BNP was formed in the backdrop of a political vacuum created in the wake of the establishment of one-party rule in the country.

He said that the people had fought the war of liberation for establishing democratic rights and achieving economic emancipation of the people. The same situation was prevailing in the country as the people were deprived of democracy and lacked equitable economic opportunities.

Presided over by Humayun Kabir Bepari, the discussion meeting was also addressed by BNP Vice-Chairman, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Joint Secretary General Khairuzzaman Khokan, editor of GreenWatch Dhaka Mostafa Kamal Majumder, member of the BNP central executive committee Abu Nasar Rahmatullah and other party leaders including Sarkar Sarif, Sohrab Hossain Thakur, Dr. Manzur Ali, Moniruzzaman Monir and MA Quader Rimon.

Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said President Ziaur Rahman had formed the BNP as he restored multi-party democracy, restored press freedom, promoted Bangladeshi nationalism and established Bangladesh as a respectable nation in the comity of nations. 

Shamsuzzaman Dudu recalled the contributions of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman to the war of liberation and restoration of multi-party democracy in the country. Terming Zia as an exceptional leader he said the BNP's founder did stop security men from opening fire at a section of students who attacked him on the Dhaka University campus when he approached to talk to them at the beginning of his short rule as President.

Khairuzzaman Khokan said that BNP workers across the country were being subjected to repression as they were waging movement against price hike and for restoration of democracy. He made mention of the three BNP workers killed in Bhola and Narayanganj in police firing without provocation. The people would forge ahead for the restoration of democracy by taking inspiration from their sacrifices, he said.

Mostafa Kamal Majumder said some people term BNP as a party formed in the cantonment. But the fact is that the party came into existence when there prevailed a political void following the abolition of all political parties but one in the mid seventies. All political political parties started functioning anew by taking registration opened by President Ziaur Rahman. He noted that Awami League leaders did take registration for as many as five parties - AL (Malek), AL (Mizan), Jatiya Janata Party, Gono Azadi League and Democratic League. Soon afterwards a splinter faction from AL (Malek) formed BAKSAL.

He said that Encyclopaedia Britanica termed Ziaur Rahman as a statesman as he was the founder the SAARC, played significant roles in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and for stopping the Iraq-Iran war. Through SAARC the small nations under the leadership of Bangladesh wanted to assert their sovereign rights. But now the country has less influence than even Nepal, he added. - GreenWatch News Desk