They Want to Use July to Gain Power: BNP Secretary General

Photo: Collected

News Desk: BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that some opposition parties are attempting to use the July Charter primarily as a means of gaining political power.

Speaking at an event at the National Press Club on Friday (July 17), Fakhrul said, "I believe the opposition wants to use July (the July Charter) solely as a pathway to power. We do not want July to become just another political tool for achieving power."

Referring to the BNP's political struggle, Fakhrul said many misconceptions were being spread about the party. He claimed that around six million BNP members and supporters had faced what he described as false cases, approximately 1,700 party leaders and activists had been forcibly disappeared, and thousands had been killed while resisting what he called a fascist regime. He said these issues needed to be raised repeatedly to counter what he described as efforts to create confusion.

Fakhrul also reiterated the BNP's commitment to liberal democracy, saying the party wanted Bangladesh to move toward a liberal democratic system. He questioned why the country should move away from democracy, arguing that there was no reason to abandon democratic governance.

He urged political parties to avoid divisive politics and work together, recalling the unity shown during the 1971 Liberation War, the movement against the military rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, and what he described as the final struggle against fascism in 2024. According to Fakhrul, Bangladesh now has an opportunity to build a democratic environment through collective efforts.

He made the remarks at a memorial meeting jointly organized by the Professor Emazuddin Ahmed Research Centre and the National Journalists' Association to mark the sixth death anniversary of Professor Emazuddin Ahmed.

The event concluded with a special prayer seeking forgiveness for the late professor.

The memorial meeting was chaired by former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Anwarullah Chowdhury. Among the speakers were Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Professor Kamrul Ahsan, Professor Abdul Latif Masud, convener of the Professor Emazuddin Ahmed Research Centre, Jugantor Editor Abdul Hai Shikder, Abul Kashem Haider, National Press Club President Hasan Hafiz, journalists Mostafa Kamal Majumder and M. Abdullah, Professor Omar Faruk, Professor Sheikh Sadi, and poet Nahid Nazrul.