Tahsina Rusdi Luna, a lawmaker for the Sylhet-2 (Biswanath and Osmaninagar) constituency and wife of the disappeared BNP leader M Ilias Ali, has demanded to know the whereabouts of her husband in Parliament.
Speaking during the first session of the 13th National Parliament on Monday (30 March), she sought answers and justice from the prime minister, the home minister, and the law minister regarding enforced disappearances.
Participating in the discussion on the President’s speech, Luna highlighted that despite the country being freed from “fascism” for nearly a year and a half, the families of those who disappeared – including Ilias Ali and Suman Parvez – remain in the dark.
“The family members want to know where their children are,” she stated, urging the Speaker to help ascertain the current status and fate of those subjected to enforced disappearance.
Luna placed a series of demands before the House, including the trial of those involved in these disappearances and the provision of financial assistance and rehabilitation for the affected families to alleviate their hardships.
She called upon the government to recognise those who were killed or disappeared over the last 17 years as “July Warriors.”
Expressing her gratitude to the President, Luna noted that his speech accurately reflected the “fascist” role of the previous 17 years and the true picture of the killings and disappearances that occurred.
She also thanked him for outlining a clear plan to implement the BNP’s election manifesto.
Luna expressed her firm belief that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, disappearances and murders would be eradicated from the country, leading to the formation of a prosperous, developed, and discrimination-free Bangladesh.
BNP leader M Ilias Ali and his personal driver, Ansar Ali, mysteriously disappeared from Dhaka’s Banani area on the night of 17 April 2012.
They have not been heard from since, and allegations persist that he was a victim of enforced disappearance during the tenure of Awami League regime.
