Mourning rallies will continue if democratic Bangladesh is not established: Tarique Rahman

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman stated that if the establishment of a safe and democratic Bangladesh fails, future generations will have to continue organising mourning rallies and writing tragic stories. 

He urged the nation to move away from mourning and instead write a victory story of democracy in Bangladesh.

He made these remarks during a view-exchange meeting with family members of the martyrs and injured persons of the July Uprising, held at the Krishibid Institution in the capital on Sunday. 

The meeting was presided over by BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, and was attended by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and other senior BNP leaders.

Tarique Rahman declared that all those who were martyred or injured during the July Uprising are freedom fighters. Just as the freedom fighters of 1971 secured the country’s independence, the July fighters of 2024 have protected the nation’s independence and sovereignty.

The BNP Chairman announced that if the BNP is given the opportunity to form the government, a dedicated department will be established under the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. This department will be specifically responsible for looking after the families of the July martyrs and injured fighters. 

While the lost loved ones cannot be brought back, the state will fulfill its responsibility to alleviate the suffering of their families, he said.

He further noted that over the past decade and a half of anti-fascist struggle, thousands of people have faced enforced disappearances, murders, and torture. In the July uprising alone, more than 1,500 people were martyred and around 30,000 were injured, with many left permanently disabled. 

He described this killing as mass killings in a single word.

Tarique Rahman emphasised that the 2024 uprising was not the movement of any single party or group; it was a spontaneous mass movement of ordinary citizens, transcending party affiliations, political opinions, and religious identities. 

The central goal of the movement was to secure the political and economic rights of the people, he said.

Describing the upcoming national election as extremely important, he stressed that only a free, fair, and credible election can lay the foundation for a safe and democratic Bangladesh. 

He assured that if the people entrust the BNP with the responsibility of governing through their verdict, the party will implement its promises to the martyrs and injured in phases, Insha Allah.

In the concluding part of his speech, Tarique Rahman offered prayers for the forgiveness of the souls of the martyrs and for the speedy recovery of the injured.