BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the dream of a mass uprising in 2024 must not be allowed to fail under any circumstances, urging unity to safeguard what he described as the victory achieved through the July movement.
Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday while chairing a discussion on the newly published works of Professor Mahbub Ullah and his late wife Umme Salma Alo, Fakhrul said that although disagreements may exist among them, these should not undermine their collective aspirations.
He added that the sacrifices made by the young people who lost their lives must not be wasted and that their shared vision must be fulfilled.
The books launched at the event include Professor Mahbub Ullah’s Purbo Banglar Bam O Communist Andolon, Bangabhanga, Amar Jibon O Amar Sangram, and Umme Salma Alo’s Joyonparer Alo.
Highlighting Mahbub Ullah’s long academic and political involvement, Fakhrul said there was no denying the significant role he played in pushing for a democratic state, laying the foundations of an anti-discrimination economy, securing people’s voting rights and moving the nation forward as a democratic, anti-hegemonic country.
Fakhrul congratulated Mahbub Ullah on his 81st birthday and said, “I hope this birthday of his comes many more times.”
Speaking at the event, Mahbub Ullah said he longed for “a democratic Bangladesh,” adding that generations of people in the country had endured hardship, oppression and struggle in the hope that better days would come.
He expressed gratitude to colleagues, academics, politicians, retired military and civil officials, economists, doctors, lawyers and professionals from various fields who attended the programme.
The discussion was moderated by poet Abdul Hai Shikdar. Other speakers included Energy Adviser Fauzul Kabir Khan, educationist Professor Ahmed Kamal, Professor Hayat Hossain, Professor Dilara Chowdhury, Professor Nilufar Sultana, Professor Nurul Amin Bepari, BRAC Chairperson Hossain Zillur Rahman, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Nazmul Haque Nannu, Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque, Daily Inqilab editor AMM Bahauddin, Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, PIB Director General Faruq Wasif, ATN Bangla News Director Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kira, and Professor Mahbub Ullah’s elder daughter Nayla Tahsina Mahbub.
