BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called on the government to prioritise reopening factories and industries that closed down after the fall of the Awami League, saying the shutdowns have pushed 1.4 million people into unemployment.
Speaking at the “Fourth Bangladesh Economic Conference 2025” at a hotel in the capital on Saturday, he said those responsible for “looting, theft and bank robbery” over the past 15 years should indeed face punishment. But he asked what the government planned to do for the millions who lost their livelihoods because these factories were shut down.
He said the focus should be on reviving the factories rather than creating further unemployment.
Mirza Fakhrul also said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman had played a pivotal role in shifting the country from a closed economy to an open one and had tried to shape the BNP along that vision.
He added that whenever the BNP was in power in the past, it placed the highest emphasis on the economy. The party, he said, aims to ensure the wellbeing of farmers, workers and ordinary people, maintain stability in the economy and keep the macroeconomy strong.
He said farmers in Bangladesh have high productivity and that with proper support, including fertiliser, seed and irrigation, far greater achievements are possible in the agriculture sector.
