Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mira Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said that the fascist regime of Awami League destroyed all the institutions in the country in the past 15 years.
Sports arena is a prime example, as the arena once free from partisanship has become increasingly politicised under the Awami League regime, said Fakhrul at the inaugural ceremony of the Shaheed Zia Football Tournament-2025 organised by Dhaka North BNP on the Pallabi City Club ground in the capital Dhaka.
He said that due to the politicisation, skilled and talented players were denied opportunities in the arena during the fascist regime.
鈥業n this new journey we have started, what our sports need most is unity and the cultivation of talent, as it is opportunity that brings out the best players,鈥� the BNP secretary general said.
At a separate event on Friday, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that holding elections was the first step towards establishing democracy and implementing reforms in the country.
鈥楧emocracy must be established through elections which serve as the essential first step and the initial reform necessary to launch the movement for broader reforms and democratic governance,鈥� he told reporters after placing wreaths at the party鈥檚 founder and late president Ziaur Rahman鈥檚 grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital Dhaka.
Amir Khasru said that those who were anticipating a 鈥榤inus two formula鈥� tied to the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia鈥檚 overseas medical treatment would find their hopes unfulfilled.
Following the departure of the BNP chairperson to London, discussions about a 鈥榤inus two formula鈥� surfaced, he said, adding that if someone got the idea in their mind, that was their issue, he said.
鈥楨rshad couldn鈥檛 achieve that. One Eleven couldn鈥檛 achieve that. The BNP today is a much stronger party than it was then,鈥� Amir Khasru mentioned.
Upon returning to Bangladesh after nearly 15 years in the United States, leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliates paid tributes to Ziaur Rahman by placing wreaths at his grave.
Referring to the BNP leaders and activists who returned from the US, Amir Khasru said that the primary reason for welcoming them was their unwavering activism in the anti-fascist and anti-dictatorship movement in the US over the past 15 years.
All of them, including their relatives, have cases against them in the country, he said.
Many of them have lost their businesses and jobs, while some have even suffered the tragic loss of family members, the BNP leader said.
Amir Khasru said that the movement was not built in a day and many have forgotten the numerous sacrifices made by people over the past 15-16 years.
Among others, New York State BNP president Aliullah Atiqur Rahman, vice-president Jasim Uddin and general secretary Saidur Rahman were present in the event.
