BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has accused “some political parties” of trying to delay the national election through “various pretexts”, saying voters “will not fall into that old trap again.”

Speaking as chief guest at a book unveiling in Dhaka on Thursday (October 23), he made the remarks at the Muktiyoddha Smriti Milonayatan of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in Kakrail. 

The event launched the book Mohanayak Shaheed Zia (Great Leader Shaheed Zia). 

Mirza Fakhrul said the country was emerging from what he described as 15 years of “fascist rule” that had devastated the economy and politics. 

He added that the interim administration was working, with the opposition’s cooperation, to organise a free, fair and acceptable election to “put things back in order”. 

Underscoring the need for an elected government to move the country forward, the BNP leader said the party was “born through reforms” and credited BNP founder Ziaur Rahman with introducing multi-party democracy. 

He argued that many of the country’s positive milestones had been achieved under BNP, yet the party was often portrayed as a “villain”. 

Praising Ziaur Rahman’s leadership, he said the late president had a remarkable ability to connect with people and work for nation-building, claiming attempts were made by the Awami League to erase his legacy—something, he said, history would not allow. He added that BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman was following Zia’s path. 

Those present at the ceremony included freedom fighter and BNP chairperson’s adviser Abdus Salam; poet and editor Abdul Hye Sikder (editor of the volume); former University of Dhaka vice-chancellor and former ambassador Professor Dr Anwarullah Chowdhury; BNP Media Cell convener Professor Dr Moudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel; and Dr Mahdi Amin, adviser to the BNP’s acting chairman, among others. 

SMS/